SEOUL, South Korea — Intense monsoon downpours sweeping across South Korea have prompted the emergency evacuation of over 750 residents and left one person missing, officials confirmed on Friday.
Data compiled by the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters indicated that the torrential rainfall forced 758 people nationwide to abandon their homes and seek temporary emergency shelter. The displaced individuals are being accommodated primarily at regional senior facilities and neighborhood town halls.
Emergency search and rescue teams have been deployed to look for a 70-year-old man who disappeared on Thursday. Local authorities reported that the elderly citizen went missing after being swept away by a rapidly rising stream in Yeongju, situated within the southeastern province of North Gyeongsang.
Beyond the human displacement, the heavy rain caused widespread physical destruction, damaging more than 450 public and private facilities across the country. Flooding impacted residential sectors, local road networks, and key municipal infrastructure.
The severe weather also triggered five separate landslides in mountainous regions, including the eastern province of Gangwon and North Chungcheong Province. Fortunately, disaster management officials reported no casualties resulting directly from the mudslides.
Weather forecasters at the Korea Meteorological Administration noted that while central regions bore the brunt of the storm with recorded rainfall exceeding 260 millimeters in some urban centers, the heavy monsoon front was projected to weaken and subside later on Friday.
