South Korea Inundated by Heaviest Rain in 70 Years

The heaviest downpours in 70 years soaked South Korea today, causing massive landslides and widespread flooding that left at least 30 people dead and as many as 46 missing and forced 50,000 to evacuate their homes.

The Central Disaster Relief Center said the Seoul area was swamped by 15 inches of rain in 24 hours. Hardest hit was Suwon, a city immediately south of Seoul, which had 16.8 inches.

The rainfall was the most in a single day since 1920. Property damage was estimated at $15 million.

The center said 30 people were dead. News reports said at least 35 people were killed and as many as 46 are missing. About 50,000 people were homeless and in shelters in the capital and surrounding areas, the reports said.

The torrential rains were expected to continue until Wednesday, and flood warnings were issued for Seoul and the central provinces.

“This is the worst weather disaster in memory,” President Roh Tae Woo said after being briefed on the situation. “Protecting people from this rain is like fighting a war.”

Two cruise ships tied to a pier in Seoul’s Han River sank in the storm after the mooring ropes loosened and the boats capsized in swift currents, police said. Ten crewmen were missing and 20 crewmen were rescued, police said.

At the port of Inchon, west of Seoul, nine houses collapsed in a mudslide and 20 people were missing, police said.

A Buddhist temple was buried in a mudslide with five monks inside, and a factory dormitory collapsed, killing six sleeping employees, news reports said.

The disaster center provided the overall figures on dead, missing and evacuated. The national news agency Yonhap said the dead include a 9-year-old girl swept away by raging flood waters and a 3-year-old sleeping in her parents home.