Torrential rain wreaks havoc on Seoul, leaves 4,000 households without power
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At least 4,000 households have experienced power cuts in Seoul due to the heavy rain that began on Sunday.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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SEOUL – Two days of torrential downpours and fierce winds have battered major parts of the South Korean capital Seoul.
At least 4,000 households are without power and major roads are closed as the city grapples with the onslaught of rough weather.
The heavy rain began on Sunday, with 135 people forced to evacuate nationwide as at 6am local time (5am Singapore time), according to the Ministry of Interior and Safety. Seoul’s underground dwellers in semi-basement homes, known as “banjiha”, were also evacuated. No casualties were reported.
Following the downpours, major highways across Seoul were partly closed overnight as the rain raised the water level of the Han River, which flows through the city.
A wet weekend is expected across Seoul’s metropolitan area, with heavy rain, lightning and thunderstorms. The weather agency said heavy rain will dump as much as 30mm to 80mm of water an hour over greater Seoul.
The South Korean government put officials on high alert during an emergency response meeting, underscoring that preventing casualties should be the highest priority. More than 10,500 police officers have been put on traffic duty and increased patrols.
Last summer, Seoul experienced floods caused by the heaviest rain in 115 years,
North Korea has also been getting heavy rain and might open floodgates at dams on rivers flowing across the border between the two Koreas, the South’s Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said.
“Heavy rain is expected in Hwanghae province and we need to thoroughly prepare for the possibility that North Korea might release water from its Hwanggang Dam,” he said, referring to the North’s central region.
Such water releases, often without notice by Pyongyang, have caused a sudden surge of water in rivers that in previous years caused flooding and led to deaths in the South.
The Unification Ministry, which handles relations with the North, said on Friday it again sent a message in June requesting notice in the event of water release but received no response. KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK, REUTERS
