Heavy rains kill at least 19 people in S. Korea |
At least 19 people were killed and 31 others reported missing as torrential rains pounded South Korea's central and northeastern regions for a fourth straight day, the nation's anti-disaster agency said Monday.
Most of the victims were reported in Inje and Pyeongchang in the country's eastern Gangwon Province, where more than 500 millimeters of rain caused floods and landslides, the National Disaster Prevention and Countermeasures Headquarters said.
Over 2,900 people were forced to evacuate their homes and 2,403 of them were still in emergency shelters in schools and town halls throughout the country as of 10 p.m., it said.
The agency said the flash downpours flooded 2,270 houses and 6,336 hectares of farmland in Gangwon Province, Incheon, Gyeonggi Province and North Gyeongsang Province.
The torrential rains also caused power failures across Gangwon Province and parts of Seoul, blacking out over 51,405 houses.
The anti-disaster officials said the number of casualties nationwide could rise as more rain was expected in southern regions. Heavy rain alerts were issued for some parts of South Jeolla and South Gyeongsang provinces.
"We fear the number of casualties will likely climb because there are still more isolated areas. Currently, the first priority is to map out measures to stabilize the livelihood of the victims," said an official at the anti-disaster agency.
The presidential office Cheong Wa Dae held an emergency meeting to assess the situation and implement necessary steps to help the victims of the heavy rains.
"We've decided to provide coordination and support in carrying out the measures by the government and other authorities," Cheong Tae-ho, the Cheong Wa Dae spokesman, said.
Earlier in the day, the Ministry of Finance and Economy said it will provide a tax payment extension or exemption as well as a special credit guarantee of up to 200 million won (US$200,000) to small and mid-sized companies suffering from the natural disaster.
On Sunday, the authorities issued a national crisis warning, putting the cities of Seoul and Incheon as well as Gyeonggi and Gangwon provinces on "orange alert." Because of a "high likelihood of large-scale disasters," the alert, a step below the category-red warning that shuts down schools and workplaces and bans access to major highways, was issued for the first time since the establishment of the warning system in 2004.
Flash flood warnings and alerts were issued for some parts of the Han River running through Seoul and Gyeonggi Province and other smaller rivers in Gangwon Province. Several bridges and roads were closed to traffic in Seoul.
In Anyang, just south of Seoul, a 10-meter section of a stream dike collapsed, flooding 500 houses. Officials warned that several other streams in Gyeonggi Province were also feared to overflow.
Meanwhile, the flood levels of the Imjin River and the Hantan River in the northern part of Seoul began to recede as rain eased, local officials said. Residents in the areas remained on alert for possible flooding.
The downpours came in the midst of the annual monsoon season.
Weather officials predicted that the rain front would affect the country till the middle of this week.
Seoul, July 17 (Yonhap News)
