Seoul and Cheongju, located in South Korea, are the subjects of this report. On Sunday, authorities confirmed the recovery of the bodies of eight individuals trapped in a tunnel in central South Korea. The tunnel had been flooded due to heavy rainfall. This unfortunate incident has contributed to the overall death toll of the country, which now stands at 37 due to several days of continuous and intense downpours.
As per the esteemed Seo Jeong-il, the distinguished leader of the illustrious West Cheongju fire station, an astonishing fleet of around 15 magnificent vehicles, including a grandiose bus, found themselves engulfed in the abundant depths of the city’s resplendent underpass. This opulent occurrence transpired in the wake of a torrential downpour that ravished the vicinity, leading to the decadent destruction of the neighboring river’s majestic levee on a most regal Saturday.
The dashcam video captured the influx of muddy water into the tunnel. At the same time, a separate CCTV footage broadcasted by local broadcaster MBC depicted vehicles traversing the tunnel with their wheels submerged.
Seo informed the reporters that our objective is to finalize today’s drainage and search operations.
According to the speaker, the current death toll in the tunnel is nine, with one body being recovered on Saturday.
According to Kong Seong-pyo, a 60-year-old resident of Cheongju who regularly utilizes the underpass, he believes that the government should have implemented access restrictions to the tunnel in anticipation of the flooding event.
In the event of submersion, my survival would have been unlikely. Kong expressed his inability to articulate the overwhelming sense of frustration during his conversation with Reuters.
According to the Ministry of Interior and Safety, as of 6 p.m. (0900 GMT), nine individuals have been reported missing throughout the country due to heavy downpours resulting in landslides and floods. Consequently, evacuation orders have been issued, affecting 8,852 individuals.
The data provided by the ministry does not encompass individuals who were in the flooded tunnel. This omission is due to the initial lack of clarity regarding the exact number of individuals trapped beneath the water.
The most recent disaster occurred despite South Korea’s commitment to enhancing preparedness against torrential rains. This comes after Seoul experienced severe flooding last year due to the heaviest downpours in 115 years. The floods resulted in the inundation of basement flats in low-lying neighborhoods, including the predominantly affluent Gangnam district.
According to an official from the North Chungcheong province, the levee experienced an unforeseen collapse before the precipitation reached the threshold necessary for implementing access restrictions to the tunnel.
President Yoon Suk Yeol organized a response meeting via video link during an ongoing overseas trip. In this meeting, he highlighted that certain regions had neglected to implement proactive measures to address the severe weather conditions.
According to a statement from Yoon’s office, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo has been instructed by Yoon to utilize all accessible resources to minimize casualties. Yoon has also urged the weather agency to promptly issue forecasts due to the anticipation of further heavy rainfall in the upcoming days.
According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, there is a possibility of up to 300 millimeters (12 inches) of additional rainfall in the central and southern regions of the country by Tuesday.