▲ Prime Minister Han Duck-soo visits a mourning altar set up at the government building of North Chungcheong Province, central South Korea, on July 20, 2023. (Yonhap)

PM-underpass flooding

PM visits mourning altar of underpass flooding victims

By Kim Han-joo

SEOUL, July 20 (Yonhap) -- Prime Minister Han Duck-soo expressed his condolences Thursday for the tragic loss of more than a dozen people killed in the flooding of an underpass in the central city of Cheongju last week.

The underground roadway was flooded Saturday when a nearby river overflowed after an embankment was brought down by rising water levels due to torrential downpours, resulting in the loss of 14 lives.

Han visited a mourning altar set up at the government building of North Chungcheong Province, where he offered his condolences to the bereaved families of the victims.

"I feel heavy responsibility for the regrettable deaths," Han wrote in a register book. Han further expressed his commitment to making the country a safer place.

Heavy downpours that battered the nation last week have left thousands of properties damaged across the nation, including swept-away roads and river embankments. As of Thursday morning, 46 people had been confirmed dead, while four others remain missing nationwide.

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