South Korea: Heavy rains displace over 1000 people, kill 13

Heavy rains in South Korea ended up causing floods which in turn killed 13 citizens and displaced 1,000 people from their homes, the local authorities confirmed on August 4. As per several local media reports, deaths were caused due to the landslides. Apart from 13 deaths, 13 people are also reported as missing, as per the officials.

Reportedly, among these 13 missing, one is a 60-year-old man whose truck was swept away in a flash flood in North Chungcheong province. A number of videos surfaced which showed vehicles being swept away by water. The disaster officials have also said that the waters inundated more than 5,751 hectares of farmland.

According to the officials, as a result of these heavy rains, key highways and bridges got flooded in South Korea's capital Seoul. The South Korean government had also mobilised more than 25,000 police officers and volunteers to do damage control. Around 50-100mm rainfall is also predicted for August 4.

Read:South Korea Confirms 113 Fresh Coronavirus Cases, Highest Since March

Read: China, South Korea See Upticks In Virus Cases

South Korea's President Moon Jae-in to hold an emergency meeting 

South Korea's President Moon Jae-in will be holding an emergency meeting on August 4. The president raised concerns over citizens and frontline workers battling the ongoing coronavirus pandemic while also struggling with 42 days of monsoon rains, which weather officials termed as the longest stretch of monsoon since 49 days of rain in 2013.

"I call for preventive checks and proactive precautionary measures to the level that could be deemed excessive." Moon said in an emergency meeting. The president has also urged national authorities to make necessary efforts in order to prevent further loss of lives and damages. As per several reports, in the early hours on August 4, work crews returned to operating the flooded roads and bridges along the Han River that had backed up traffic and damaged infrastructure.

After this flood situation in South Korea, state media in North Korea also warned of possible flooding as some areas were already experiencing heavy rainfall. According to reports, North Korea had also opened the floodgates of a border dam on August 3 without giving any notice to its neighbour.

Read: South Korea Reports 30 New Cases

Read: Heavy Rain In South Korea Kills 6, 7 Others Missing

(Image credit: AP)