Vehicles partly submerged at a flooded parking lot in Seoul
(Picture: REUTERS)At least eight people have died after heavy rain submerged vehicles and overwhelmed public transport systems in Seoul.
The South Korean capital had its worst rainfall in decades with some parts of the city swamped by five and a half inches of rain on Monday evening.
In the central Gangnam district some buildings and stores were left completely flooded and without power. Cars, buses and subway stations were seen submerged, leaving people stranded.
At least five people died in Seoul and three others in the neighbouring Gyeonggi Province by early Tuesday, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters said.
Four died after being drowned in flooded buildings, one was believed to have been electrocuted, another person was found under the wreckage of a bus stop, and the other two died in a landslide, it said.
At least nine were left injured and seven were missing.
Data showed at least 765 facilities were damaged, while about 52 highways and roads have been blocked.
President Yoon Suk Yeol called for public employers and private companies to adjust their commuting hours and urged aggressive action in restoring damaged facilities and evacuating people in danger areas to prevent further deaths.
Moon Hong-sik, spokesperson of Seoul’s Defense Ministry, said the military was prepared to deploy troops to help with recovery efforts if requested by cities or regional governments.
“The heavy rainfall is expected to continue for days … we need to maintain our sense of alert and respond with all-out effort,” Mr Yoon said during a visit to the government’s emergency headquarters in Seoul on Tuesday.
He directed officials’ attention to areas vulnerable to landslides or flooding and to reducing the dangers of roads and facilities already damaged.
