In South Korea, severe landslides and floods occurred due to heavy rainfall for the third consecutive day on Saturday, July 15. Official reports confirm that seven individuals have died, while three others are currently listed as missing. Furthermore, seven people sustained injuries, and authorities evacuated thousands from their homes due to landslides and the overflow of a dam.
The Ministry of Interior and Safety reported that, by 11 a.m. local time, they had already evacuated 1,567 individuals across the country. However, they expected this number to increase as the water surpassed the dam’s capacity in North Chungcheong province.
Local authorities issued evacuation orders for over 7,000 people at various points in time, as confirmed by provincial officials. As of 9am local time, more than 2,700 tonnes of water per second was flowing into Goesan Dam, the maximum it can discharge.
Korea Railroad Corp announced that they were halting all slow trains and some bullet trains due to safety concerns caused by landslides, track flooding, and falling rocks. They also mentioned that the operation of other bullet trains might experience delays due to slower operation.
A slow train derailed late on Friday when a landslide threw earth and sand over tracks in North Chungcheong province, the transport ministry said. No passengers were on board, but the engineer sustained injuries.
In a meeting with government agencies on Saturday, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo called for the military to actively join in rescue activities of South Korea landslides, working with government officials to mobilise equipment and manpower.