The death toll from flooding and landslides caused by torrential downpours reached at least 40 on Monday, according to officials. Thirteen victims were found in a submerged tunnel. The photo captures the intensity of the situation. (Yonhap Photo)
SEOUL, July 17 (UPI) — The recent heavy rains in South Korea have caused devastating floods and landslides, resulting in the death of 40 people so far. President Yoon Suk-yeol has called for a complete overhaul of the country’s climate disaster readiness to prevent such tragedies in the future.
The Interior Ministry of South Korea announced that four bodies were found in a flooded underpass near Cheongju, bringing the death toll to 13. The flash flood occurred after a levee broke on Saturday, submerging a half-mile tunnel and numerous vehicles, including a bus.
The torrential downpours have led to 34 reported injuries and the evacuation of over 10,600 individuals in the central and southern regions of the country since Thursday. Some areas have experienced more than 22 inches of rainfall.
President Yoon Suk-yeol immediately called for an emergency disaster response meeting upon returning from his European trip. He urged the mobilization of all available resources, including the identification of disaster zones.
President Yoon criticized the response of government agencies, highlighting the lack of preemptive measures in at-risk areas and ineffective dissemination of information.
In an inter-agency meeting, President Yoon emphasized the importance of adhering to basic principles of disaster response, such as entry control and preemptive evacuation. Neglecting these principles compromises public safety.
President Yoon stressed the need to prepare for extreme weather events as a consequence of the climate crisis. He stated that such events will become more frequent and should no longer be perceived as anomalies that are unavoidable.
Efforts to drain and search the submerged tunnel in Cheongju are ongoing, with nearly 900 rescue workers involved. Heavy rainfall continues to affect the region. Search operations are also being carried out in Yecheon, where landslides and housing collapses have resulted in 19 deaths and eight individuals missing.
The floods have affected 139 homes and 146 roads throughout the country. Temporary power outages impacted over 28,000 homes, but most have since been restored.
Officials have issued heavy rain alerts for Tuesday, warning that central and southern regions could receive up to eight additional inches of rainfall within the next day.
