Heavy monsoon rains pound central Korea, forcing evacuations nationwide

Heavy monsoon rains continued to pound central and other parts of the nation through Thursday morning, causing widespread damage, including flooded homes and fallen trees.

The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said heavy rain of up to 50 millimeters (2 inches) per hour was falling in the central Chungcheong provinces, where a heavy rain warning had already been issued, as well as in the adjacent areas in North Jeolla, Gyeonggi and Gangwon.

The cumulative rainfall from Wednesday through 7 a.m. Thursday exceeded 220 mm in the central cities of Daejeon and Cheongju, the KMA said, forecasting up to 200 mm of additional rainfall in the Chungcheong and southern regions through Thursday night.

The state weather agency has issued landslide and flood advisories across the country.

In the North Chungcheong county of Boeun, 82 people were urgently evacuated to village halls and senior citizen centers early Thursday morning amid concerns about flooding in a reservoir. In the same county, two residents trapped inside a flooded home were rescued by firefighters.

An embankment collapsed in Cheongju's Gadeok district, forcing residents and staff members of a nursing home to evacuate to a nearby welfare facility.

Authorities received a total of 145 reports of heavy rain-related damage nationwide from 6 p.m. Wednesday to 8 a.m. Thursday.

Two people were rescued by firefighters in Daejeon after being trapped in a vehicle due to flooded roads.

Yonhap