2 dead, hundreds evacuated as heavy rainfall hits South Korea

By Anadolu staff

At least two people died and hundreds evacuated after heavy rainfall battered parts of South Korea overnight, triggering flash floods, landslides, Yonhap News Agency reported on Thursday.

Two people lost lives in Osan city, south of capital Seoul and Seosan city of Chungcheong province, while two others injured in Seosan and Buyeo.

The government disaster response authorities put the Chungcheong provinces and southern part of Gyeonggi Province on the second-highest alert level as heavy rain continues in different parts of the country.

So far, authorities evacuated nearly 1,000 people from flood hit areas in different cities.

Seosan city, the hardest-hit area, recorded up to 344 mm of rain since Wednesday evening, according to the weather officials.

In a single hour —between 1:46 am and 2:46 am—the city saw 114.9 mm of rain, the highest hourly total for July since weather records began there in 1968.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid