Torrential rain pounds S. Korea for 4th day; over 7,000 seek temporary shelters
Heavy rain continued to pound South Korea for the fourth straight day Saturday, leaving at least four people dead and forcing more than 7,000 people to evacuate their homes, Yonhap reports.
Authorities warned that up to 250 millimeters of additional rainfall could fall within the day, raising concerns of further damage and casualties.
As of 6 a.m., the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters reported four deaths, including two in Seosan, South Chungcheong Province, and two people missing in Gwangju.
Evacuation orders were issued for 7,029 residents from 4,995 households, with more than 2,800 people still unable to return home.
The torrential downpours have inundated roads, triggered landslides and flooded homes across the country.
Overnight rainfall remained extreme in many regions.
Incheon's Yeongheung Island saw 98.5 millimeters of rain fall in just one hour, from 12:50 a.m.-1:50 a.m., while Boseong in South Jeolla Province saw 88 millimeters.
Some areas have already taken more than 40 percent of their annual average rainfall over the past four days. Seosan recorded 558.6 millimeters of rain from Wednesday to Friday morning, which equates to 45 percent of its annual average.
A total of 729 cases of public infrastructure damage have been reported, including 388 flooded roads, 133 landslides and 57 river facility collapses. Private property damage reached 1,014 cases, including 64 flooded buildings and 59 submerged farmlands.
As written before, heavy rains that battered South Korea for three days have left four people dead, another missing and more than 5,000 people evacuated, officials said Friday, as weather authorities warned of more torrential rains across the nation.