SEOUL: Seven persons were killed, seven wounded, and three others remained missing while thousands were evacuated in South Korea on Saturday as a third day of torrential rains caused landslides and the overflow of a dam.
Officials said as of 11 a.m. (0200 GMT), 1,567 people had been evacuated countrywide. According to the Ministry of Interior and Safety, the number could rise further after a dam overflowed in North Chungcheong province.
According to provincial authorities, the local governments’ order for evacuation covered more than 7,000 people at various times.
According to the officials, as of 9 a.m. Saturday, more than 2,700 tons of water per second was flowing into Goesan Dam, the maximum it could release.
Korea Railroad Corp. has halted all slow trains and some bullet trains, while other bullet trains might be delayed due to slower operation, as track flooding, landslides and falling rocks threatened safety.
According to the transport ministry, a slow train derailed late Friday when earth fell on tracks after a landslide in North Chungcheong province. The engineer was injured, but luckily, there were no passengers on board.
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, in a meeting with government agencies Saturday, called for the military to actively join rescue operations. He asked the military to work with government officials and mobilize manpower and equipment.
