From Wednesday to Thursday, authorities were able to confirm the deaths of five more people, but continue to search for those still missing after torrential rains battered South Korea for five days until Sunday.
Two people, previously identified as a woman in her 40s and a man in his 50s, remained missing in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province. The woman was believed to have gone missing due to a landslide near a local camping site, while the man was suspected to have been carried away by strong currents, according to the authorities. The teenage son of the missing woman was found dead near the site of the landslide in Gapyeong early Thursday, according to police and fire authorities.
One person is still unaccounted for in Sancheong, South Gyeongsang Province. The area experienced the most intense rainfall nationwide, with accumulated precipitation of more than 800 millimeters and 13 deaths as of press time. Another person remained missing in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, according to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety as of Thursday morning.
On Wednesday, a total of four people were found dead in landslides in Gapyeong and Sancheong, according to the Interior Ministry.
The government and local authorities have continued to implement restoration plans since nationwide heavy rain alerts were lifted Monday. More than half of the damage to homes, commercial buildings and roads has been repaired, according to the Interior Ministry.
Repairs have been carried out for 6,489 of the 12,791 reported public and private damage claims.
Last week’s heavy rain forced more than 14,166 residents to evacuate their homes. A total of 1,783 households, comprising 2,243 residents in nine cities and provincial areas, remained in temporary shelters as of Thursday.
sj_lee@heraldcorp.com
