South Korea is dealing with the aftermath of relentless rains that have claimed 14 lives, with 12 more people still missing. The worst-hit area is Sancheong County in the south, where nearly 800 mm of rain has fallen since Wednesday. The downpour caused the deaths of eight people in this rural area of 33,000 residents, and six others are still unaccounted for.
Neighboring regions such as Hapcheon and Hadong also received unusually heavy rainfall—699 mm and 621.5 mm, respectively. Two of the people missing are from Gwangju, a city located in the southwest of the country.
Widespread Damage Reported
The disaster has caused extensive damage. According to South Korean media reports, there have been 1,920 cases of public property damage, including broken roads and damaged infrastructure. Additionally, over 2,200 reports were made for private property losses, such as homes and farmland being destroyed or flooded. So far, nearly 13,000 people have been forced to leave their homes and are now taking refuge in shelters spread across 14 cities and provinces.
Telecom Services Affected
The heavy rains also disrupted telecommunication services. The science ministry reported that power outages affected many cellphone stations, especially in Sancheong and Gapyeong, a region northeast of Seoul. These outages caused mobile and landline services to shut down temporarily. However, by Sunday evening, about 90% of mobile networks and 98% of landline connections were back up and running.
Climate Impact and Past Disasters
South Korea usually faces monsoon rains in July and is generally well-equipped to manage them. But this time, the rain has been exceptionally heavy, with some of the highest rainfall in recent memory.
Experts believe that climate change is making such extreme weather events more common and more intense. Back in 2022, a similar weather crisis led to floods that killed at least 11 people, highlighting the growing risks posed by changing climate patterns.
