▲ This photo provided by the Gyeongbuk Fire Service Headquarters shows firefighters trying to rescue a 14-month-old baby buried in a mudslide in the southeastern city of Yeongju on June 30, 2023. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

(LEAD) mudslide-baby

(LEAD) 14-month-old dies after mudslide hits house in Yeongju

(ATTN: UPDATES with death, other details)

YEONGJU, South Korea, June 30 (Yonhap) -- A 14-month-old baby girl died Friday after a mudslide engulfed a house in southeastern South Korea on the same day, police said.

Ten people, including three children, were in the house in Yeongju, 161 kilometers southeast of Seoul, when the mudslide crashed down the roof and wall of the house at 4:43 a.m. All but the baby escaped, and firefighters pulled her out around 7 a.m. after two hours of rescue operations.

The baby was then taken to a hospital in a state of cardiac arrest, but was pronounced dead, police said.

The other nine family members were referred to a senior center nearby, and city officials plan to check on their health condition and provide mental counseling.

Since Thursday, about 160 millimeters of rain has fallen in Yeongju, leading to reports of over 100 cases of house flooding as of 7 a.m.

Forty-three people from 15 households have evacuated from their homes due to fears of mudslides, and five cars were buried at a construction site, but dragged out, the officials said.

Traffic was blocked on multiple flooded roads and a small bridge also collapsed due to flooding.

A heavy rain watch was issued in the southeastern city, where 20 to 60 mm of rain is expected to pour until Friday afternoon, with some places seeing up to 80 mm of rainfall.

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