Seoul, Aug 17 (IANS) More than 800 millimetres of rain has pounded South Gyeongsang Province, including Geoje, over the weekend, triggering a landslide in the city that killed a resident, authorities said on Monday.
The city of Geoje, more than 300 kilometres southeast of Seoul, received 805.7 mm of rain from Saturday through 8 a.m. Monday, while Tongyeong in the province received 671.9 mm during the same period, with other parts of the province receiving between 240 mm and 340 mm.
Heavy rain warnings were in effect in five areas of the province, including Geoje and Tongyeong, as of Monday morning, while lower-level heavy rain advisories were also in effect across many parts of the region, reports Yonhap news agency.
Downpours battered Geoje, triggering a landslide in a neighbourhood at 4:42 a.m. Monday that struck an apartment building.
Police and firefighters rescued three residents from the landslide-hit apartment building, but one of them was found in cardiac arrest and was later pronounced dead at a hospital.
Heavy rain had flooded 12 schools and kindergartens in Geoje and Tongyeong as of Monday morning.
Firefighters received more than 20 calls overnight from residents in Geoje seeking help over various rain-related accidents and damage, authorities said.
Heavy rain caused several streams in Geoje to overflow, flooding roads and triggering a separate landslide in a neighbourhood that struck a house. No casualties were reported in that incident.
As of Monday morning, both Geoje and Tongyeong were being hit by rainfall of up to 100 mm per hour, with the weather agency forecasting up to an additional 150 mm of rain in parts of the province throughout the day.
The interior ministry activated a Level 1 emergency response, the lowest level, at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, with Interior Minister Yun Ho-jung calling for all-out efforts to protect people’s lives.
Prime Minister Han Seong-sook also instructed police, firefighters and other authorities to make every effort to rescue stranded residents and others at risk from the heavy rain.
–IANS
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