Seoul sees worst floods in 80 years, 7 dead, 6 missing

Seoul and surrounding areas are inundated with water after one of the heaviest rain storms in 80 years hit the South Korean capital last night. At least seven people have died and at least six people are missing.

At least five people died in Seoul and two others in neighbouring Gyeonggi province, according to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters.

Among the dead include a 13 year old who got stuck in the basement of a building in Seoul with two adults.

As the rainfall intensified, streets, vehicles and subway stations were submerged, leaving many people in the city – home to 25 million people – stranded. Some people booked into hotels to wait out the storm.

Thunder and lightning struck every 30 seconds in Gangnam district, locals said.

About 381.5 millimetres of rain hit southwestern Seoul yesterday, according to the Korean Meteorological Administration. It is the highest amount of recorded rainfall since officials began recording precipitation in the city in 1904, according to The Washington Post.

Yesterday’s downpour broke the previous record for the highest day of rainfall in Seoul, which was on August 9 1920, when about 354.6 millimetres of rain fell onto the city.

The morning commute was impossible for most Seoul city dwellers today and could take some time to get back to normal, according to South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol…

It will “take time to restore public transportation facilities due to flood damage.”

The president has asked companies to be understanding, let people work from home where possible and adjust working hours if needed.

“Nothing is more precious than life and safety. The government will thoroughly manage the heavy rain situation with the central disaster safety measures headquarters,” said President Yoon Suk Yeol in a Facebook post.

Seoul can expect more heavy rainfall today.

SOURCE: The Korea Herald, Bloomberg, Washington Post