Over 2,500 Evacuated As Heavy Rains Inundate South Korea’s Southern Regions

SEOUL, Aug 4 (Bernama-Yonhap) -- More than 2,500 people were forced to evacuate after heavy rains overnight pounded South Korea’s southern regions, authorities said on Monday, Yonhap News Agency reported.

A total of 2,523 people took refuge across six major southern cities and provinces — Busan, Gwangju, South Chungcheong, South Jeolla, North Gyeongsang and South Gyeongsang — as of 4.30 am on Monday due to the downpours, according to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters.

Of those evacuated, 2,498 have yet to return to their homes.

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Southern parts of the country were hit hard by the overnight rains, with the south‑western county of Muan receiving 289.6 millimetres of rain from midnight on Sunday to 5 am on Monday.

A man in his 60s was found dead in a stream in Muan, but authorities said they were still determining whether the death was related to the torrential rains.

The disaster headquarters raised its emergency response operation level by one notch to Level 2 at 11 pm on Sunday due to the heavy rains.

The Korea Meteorological Administration forecast heavy rain nationwide on Monday, with downpours expected to continue in South Gyeongsang and nearby areas.

Rainfall of 5 to 10 millimetres is expected for Seoul, Incheon and western parts of Gyeonggi Province from Monday to early Tuesday morning, while downpours of 30 to 80 millimetres are expected for Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang, with some areas receiving more than 120 millimetres.

Heatwave alerts have been lifted in some areas due to the downpours, with temperatures expected to reach highs of 29 to 34 °C on Monday.

-- BERNAMA-YONHAP