WEB DESK
Seoul: Water gushes out of the floodgates of the Gunnam Dam on the Imjin River that runs across the inter-Korean border in the South Korean border town of Yeoncheon, north of Seoul, on June 28, 2022, as the state-run Korea Water Resources Corp. opened the dam’s floodgates to lower the water level following heavy rain in North Korea. The dam, built in 2010, was designed to deal with flash floods from North Korea.
In South Korea, at least 14 people have died and 12 missing as the country battles deadly floods following several days of heavy rainfall. The hardest-hit area is Sancheong, which has seen 800 mm of rain since Wednesday. Eight people have died in Sancheong, and six others are missing.
Across the country, heavy rains have caused 1,920 cases of damage to roads and public facilities, and over 2,200 reports of damage to homes and farmland. Nearly 13,000 people have evacuated to shelters in 14 cities and provinces.
The storms also led to power outages, cutting off mobile and landline services, especially in Sancheong and Gapyeong. Most services were restored by Sunday evening. South Korea usually expects monsoon rains in July, but this year’s downpours have been unusually severe.