Yonhap/Portal
A vehicle drives through an area flooded by heavy rain in Cheongju, South Korea, July 15, 2023.
Hong Kong CNN –
21 people have died in South Korea and thousands have evacuated their homes due to torrential rain that has caused landslides and flash floods.
Ten others were missing and nine were injured in the downpour, the country’s Yonhap news agency reported.
Sixteen of the deaths were recorded in North Gyeongsang province, which lies in the eastern part of the Korean peninsula. Most died there in landslides.
Two people died in the city of Nonsan in South Chungcheong province on Friday after their building collapsed due to a landslide in Yonhap reported.
Across South Korea, more than 1,000 people had to vacate their homes and seek temporary shelter on Saturday, Yonhap reported. In addition, around 8,300 households in four provinces are experiencing power outages.
According to the South Korean news agency, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo ordered the authorities to evacuate people in landslide-prone regions and carry out rescue operations.
Last year, the South Korean capital of Seoul experienced record rainfall that flooded homes, streets and subways, killing at least nine people.
Scientists have warned that the frequency and intensity of heavy rains is increasing across East Asia as the human-caused climate crisis increases the likelihood of extreme weather events.
Just days after devastating floods wreaked havoc in neighboring Japan, killing at least six people and injuring 19, recent heavy rains hit South Korea.
Torrential rains in southwest Japan prompted the country’s weather agency to issue emergency warnings for Fukuoka and Oita prefectures on Kyushu, the country’s third-largest island, earlier in the week.
Earlier in the month, heavy rains also caused flooding in southwest China, killing at least 15 people in the city of Chongqing.