South Korea was hit by heavy rain, and many areas became swamps, resulting in a total of 4 deaths, 2 missing persons, and more than 5,000 people evacuated. In western Gwangju, the rainfall exceeded 400 mm in one day. According to Korean media reports, a local Starbucks store was severely flooded by floods, and tables and chairs floated in the muddy water.
South Korea’s “JoongAng Ilbo” pointed out that the Starbucks was located in Xin’andong, North District, Gwangju. The chairs and tables in the store floated in the muddy water, and the road in front of the store was also flooded.
The Korea Meteorological Administration pointed out that the rainfall in Gwangju area on the 16th reached 426.4 mm, setting a record for the highest daily rainfall since meteorological observations in 1939. The disaster also caused more than 280 people in Gwangju to evacuate urgently.
This round of heavy rain began on July 16. According to the South Korean government, as of 11 a.m. on the 18th, two people died in Seosan, South Chungcheong Province, one person died in Dangjin and one person died in Osan, Gyeonggi Province, and two people were missing in Gwangju.
Yonhap News Agency reported earlier that 87 roads and 38 buildings in Gwangju were flooded within about two hours after the heavy rain warning was issued.
Man trapped in car died
The Korea Herald reported that a man in his 50s was trapped in a car and died in Seosan, South Chungcheong Province. The authorities received a report of a flooded vehicle at 3:59 a.m. that day. Rescuers rescued three people from another trapped vehicle at around 5:14 a.m., but the man had no heartbeat when they arrived an hour later. The man was then taken to the nearby Seosan Medical Center, where he died after failed rescue efforts.
It is said that the man had called his wife for help a few hours ago, saying that “the car was being washed away by the flood.”
