Floods Due To Heavy Rain In Seoul Kiledl Nine People, 2.800 Houses And Buildings Are Damaged

Illustration of flooding in South Korea. (Wikimedia Commons/YaMaDa)

JAKARTA - Heavy rains that have hit the Seoul area of South Korea since Monday eased on Wednesday, with at least nine people dead and damaging about 2.800 houses and buildings.

Rain on Wednesday is expected to be less than the previous two days, submerging roads and buildings, trapping people in apartments, and leaving vehicles stranded.

Five people were reported dead in Seoul as of Wednesday morning, another three were reported in neighboring Gyeonggi Province and one in Gangwon Province, according to the Central Disaster Management and Safety Headquarters.

Meanwhile, as many as 17 other people were injured and seven people were declared missing.

Flooding in several buildings around the posh Gangnam District continued on Tuesday, while the subway station and several roads there have been blocked.

Data shows at least 2.800 public and private facilities have been damaged across South Korea, resulting in more than 1.100 households having been displaced. Most highways and subway lines had been cleared on Wednesday.

Accumulated rainfall in Seoul since midnight Monday hit 525mm as of 7 a.m. Wednesday, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA), it's higher than forecast. As for the Yangpyeong area, the total rainfall reached 532.5 mm.

The KMA expects rain to continue in most of the country, especially in Chungcheong Province. The agency estimates that rainfall will gradually ease in many parts of Seoul and Gangwon Province.

It is known that South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol will chair a meeting on Wednesday, to discuss damage and countermeasures against flooding. Separately, the government and the People's Power Party are set to hold an emergency meeting to discuss fiscal support for damage recovery.