Severe Rainfall Triggers Deadly Floods and Landslides in South Korea 14 Dead, Dozens Missing

Severe Rainfall Triggers Deadly Floods and Landslides in South Korea 14 Dead, Dozens Missing

Business Daily

Published : 17:00, 20 July 2025

South Korea has been battered by relentless rainfall since July 16, resulting in catastrophic flooding and deadly landslides across multiple regions. At least 14 people have lost their lives, and 12 remain missing, as emergency crews continue intensive search and rescue operations in the hardest-hit areas. The rural county of Sancheong in South Gyeongsang Province experienced the highest rainfall, exceeding 800 millimeters in five days. Landslides in the area led to multiple fatalities and the disappearance of several residents.

In Gapyeong County, located northeast of Seoul, landslides and flash floods claimed two lives and left at least four others unaccounted for. The region recorded over 170 millimeters of rain within hours on Sunday morning. One fatality occurred in Osan, south of the capital, when a retaining wall collapsed during the storm. Additional missing persons have been reported in Gwangju and surrounding regions.

 More than 3,800 people have been evacuated from their homes, with the number of displaced individuals peaking at over 7,000 during the height of the storm. Thousands of roads and buildings have been submerged or damaged, and large swaths of farmland have been destroyed. Livestock losses have also been reported, further compounding the crisis in rural communities.

Temporary power outages affected more than 41,000 households. While rainfall has subsided in the southern and central regions, heavy downpours have shifted northward, bringing further threats to the capital Seoul and surrounding provinces. The national weather service expects precipitation to diminish by late Sunday, followed by a significant heat wave across the country. In response to the disaster, the President has declared the most severely affected regions as special disaster zones.

The government has launched a coordinated multi-agency relief and recovery effort. Authorities have urged local governments to deploy all available resources to assist victims, clear debris, and restore essential infrastructure. This event marks one of the most damaging weather disasters in South Korea in recent years, underscoring the growing challenges posed by climate-induced extreme weather events. Source: BBC News, Reuters, AP, Al Jazeera, DW.

BD/S

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