Heavy rain leaves 1 person missing in Busan, other damage reported

▲ A person puts up an umbrella while crossing a street in Daegu, about 240 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on July 11, 2023, due to heavy rain. (Yonhap)

heavy rain-damage

Heavy rain leaves 1 person missing in Busan, other damage reported

SEOUL, July 11 (Yonhap) -- Heavy rains pounded many parts of South Korea, including the greater Seoul area and the southeastern port city of Busan, on Tuesday, leaving one person missing and causing financial damage, according to the government.

A 68-year-old woman went missing near a stream in Busan, 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul, amid heavy rain around 3:34 p.m., the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters said.

Firefighters were searching for her while investigations were also under way to find the exact cause of her disappearance.

Earlier in the day, a 75-year-old man was found dead after getting swept away in a stream in Yeoju, about 60 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on Tuesday morning. The authorities, however, classified the death as a safety accident, not damage from rain, as he is assumed to have accidentally fallen down.

The state weather agency has issued a heavy rain advisory for most parts of the country, including Busan and the Seoul metropolitan area, as of 7 p.m.

Hourly precipitation may go up to 80 mm in Gyeonggi Province, surrounding Seoul, and some parts of eastern Gangwon Province, the southwestern Jeolla provinces and some parts of southeastern North Gyeongsang Province overnight, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).

The KMA forecast the greater Seoul area will get up to 180 mm of rain until Wednesday.

Authorities across the country were inundated with reports of fallen street trees, house, road and river flooding, and other damage related to heavy rains.

The anti-disaster office said it has ordered related authorities to closely monitor the damage situation and take emergency recovery measures to prevent additional damage from the rain.

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