Search for missing after flood expands in Gyeonggi, with more bodies recovered

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Search for missing after flood expands in Gyeonggi, with more bodies recovered

Published: 23 Jul. 2025, 13:54

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

A police official and a police dog search for missing people in Mail-ri in Gapyeong County, Gyeonggi, on July 21. [JUN MIN-KYU]

Authorities expanded search operations on Wednesday for three people missing after torrential rain caused severe flooding in Gapyeong County, Gyeonggi. Four were missing as of Wednesday morning, while one body was found near Deokhyeon-ri around noon the same day.

The search has been extended downstream from the Paldang Dam to Gimpo Bridge in Goyang, along the lower Han River. Fire authorities deployed 13 boats, and the Seoul Water Rescue Unit also joined the operation.

A total of 883 personnel, seven search dogs, 20 drones, two helicopters and 13 boats were mobilized to comb the area between Mail-ri — where the missing were last seen — and the Sincheongpyeong Bridge area of the Bukhan River downstream.

Excavators were deployed to remove debris piled under several bridges, including Imunan Bridge, Sinhwa Bridge and Daebo Bridge in Jojong-myeon and Sang-myeon.

Search efforts remain difficult due to fast currents and muddy terrain that have impeded searches on roads and waterways. Some affected areas are still without reliable communication services due to damaged optical cables, so authorities are relying on fire service radios and satellite phones.

Among the missing are two members of a family of four who were staying at a campground in Mail-ri when the flooding occurred. On Sunday morning at 4:20 a.m., the body of a man in his 40s was found trapped in the structure of Daebo Bridge in Jojong-myeon.

Firefighters search for missing people in Mail-ri in Gapyeong County, Gyeonggi, on July 22. [YONHAP]

He had been camping with his wife and two sons at the site, H Campground, located about 6 kilometers (3.72 miles) upstream from where his body was discovered.

Authorities initially believed the family consisted of three people, but later confirmed that the family of four was at the campsite. One of the sons, a high school student, was rescued at the scene with injuries and transported by helicopter. Due to trauma, he has been unable to undergo questioning.

Rescuers are also searching for another person who was reportedly swept away while driving near a fishing site near Daebo Bridge. The body of a separate individual believed to have been caught in the current along the riverbank in Deokhyeon-ri was found around noon Wednesday, and authorities are working to identify the body.

On Tuesday, fire authorities rescued an older couple stranded at a pension in Seungan-ri, Gapyeong-eup, following a landslide that severed road access and had cut them off since Sunday, when heavy rain caused the collapse.

A public health center worker discovered the couple’s situation during a visit to check on the health of the man, who has lung cancer, and alerted emergency services. Rescue crews arrived on site Monday afternoon but could not reach them by vehicle, so a helicopter evacuation was carried out the following day. The couple was reported to be in stable condition.

Gyeonggi Gov. Kim Dong-yeon oversees rescue operations on the ground for missing people in Mail-ri in Gapyeong County, Gyeonggi, on July 22. [YONHAP]

Gyeonggi Gov. Kim Dong-yeon on Tuesday urged the central government to add Pocheon to the list of designated special disaster zones, following the official designation of six other heavily affected regions.

“While we welcome the designation of Gapyeong as a special disaster zone, it is regrettable that Pocheon, which also suffered major damage, was not included,” Kim wrote on Facebook.

President Lee Jae Myung designated six locations — Gapyeong in Gyeonggi, Seosan and Yesan in South Chungcheong, Damyang in South Jeolla and Sancheong and Hapcheon in South Gyeongsang — as special disaster zones Tuesday afternoon.

The designation entitles affected areas to receive up to 80 percent of recovery costs from the central government and offers residents benefits such as deferred tax payments and discounts on public utility bills.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY JEON ICK-JIN,CHOI MO-RAN [[email protected]]