A bridge is damaged due to heavy rainfall in the early morning hours in Jojong-myeon, Gapyeong-gun, Gyeonggi Province, on July 20. Yonhap News

The Korean Peninsula has been devastated in various locations as an unprecedented monster rain cloud, dubbed 'extreme downpour,' swept across the country for five days.

Over the weekend, record-breaking torrential rains hit Gapyeong in Gyeonggi Province and Sancheong in South Gyeongsang Province, leading to a surge in casualties. In Chungnam and Gwangju, which had already suffered significant damage, flood recovery efforts continued throughout the holiday.

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCHQ) on July 20, the heavy rainfall has resulted in 17 deaths and 11 missing persons nationwide. Search authorities are making all-out efforts to find those buried or missing.

The interior village of Bu-ri, Sancheong-eup, Sancheong-gun, South Gyeongsang Province, on July 20, is unrecognizable due to destruction from the heavy rain and landslides that occurred the previous day. Yonhap News

◇ Sancheong Receives Nearly 300mm in a Day... Casualties Mount

The number of flood-related damages in the Sancheong region of South Gyeongsang Province, where nearly 300mm of rain fell on July 19 alone, continues to increase.

As of 9 a.m. on July 20, the provincial disaster and safety headquarters and the provincial fire department reported 8 deaths, 2 seriously injured, and 6 missing (presumed buried) in the province.

Most of the victims were buried by overflowing soil and mud.

As of 11 a.m. on July 20, the provisional number of evacuees in South Gyeongsang Province was 7,591 people from 5,871 households.

Of these, 5,517 people from 4,400 households have returned home, but 2,074 people from 1,471 households have not yet been able to return.

Electricity supply has been cut off in 11 locations (village level) in the Sancheong and Hapcheon regions. Some areas in Sancheong are also experiencing communication disruptions, with unstable phone and internet connections.

Sancheong County issued an emergency text message at approximately 1:50 p.m. the previous day, stating, "All citizens, please evacuate to a safe zone immediately."

This was an unprecedented event for a single local government to recommend evacuation for its entire jurisdiction, not just certain towns or villages, due to extreme downpours.

A convenience store building collapses due to torrential rain in Gapyeong-gun, Gyeonggi Province, on the morning of July 20. Yonhap News

A cumulative rainfall of 798mm was recorded in Sicheon-myeon, Sancheong County, over four days from July 16, with extreme downpours of 632mm over four days in the Sancheong area.

This was followed by heavy rains in Haman County with 583.5mm, Hapcheon County with 532.2mm, Changnyeong County with 374mm, and Hadong County with 369.5mm.

Two people were confirmed dead in Gapyeong-gun, Gyeonggi Province, due to heavy rainfall early on July 20.

According to police and fire authorities, four people were buried when a pension building collapsed in Sin-sang-ri, Jojong-myeon, Gapyeong-gun, at approximately 4:44 a.m. that day.

Three of them were rescued, but a woman in her 70s, identified as Ms. A, was found dead.

Earlier, at approximately 4:20 a.m., a man in his 40s, Mr. B, was found dead at Daebo Bridge in Daebo-ri after being swept away by the water and getting caught on bridge structures.

In Gapyeong-gun, Jojong-myeon and other areas received 76mm of rain per hour around 3:30 a.m. that day, with a cumulative daily rainfall of 197.5mm by 9:30 a.m.

On July 20, volunteers help with flood recovery efforts in Donggok-dong, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju, after record rainfall ceased. Yonhap News

◇ Gwangju, Jeonbuk, and Chungnam Submerged, Flood Recovery Underway

On the morning of July 20, with the heavy rain subsided and clear weather finally returning, full-scale flood recovery work began in the Yumchi-myeon area of Asan-si, Chungnam Province.

The Gokgyo-ri area had been largely submerged due to the heavy rainfall that had continued since July 16.

The record rainfall of over 400mm caused rivers to swell, and coinciding with high tide, water could not drain into Asan Bay, exacerbating the damage.

At that time, the water rose to the chest level of short elderly residents and nearly the second floor of low-lying villas.

Asan City officials and volunteers were busy removing water-damaged furniture and cleaning muddy interiors of shops and homes.

In the restaurant operated by Mr. Jeong (63), work was underway to remove waterlogged dishes and furniture.

Mr. Jeong said, "I thought our house had relatively less damage, but the more we try to recover, the greater the damage and the more work there is. I was worried about what we would do as a family, but it's fortunate that volunteers are helping."

Recovery efforts were underway in various flood-affected areas of Chungnam, including Asan City, on this day.

In Hongseong County, about 400 public officials rolled up their sleeves to help recover strawberry farms and livestock facilities. In Seosan, about 180 people, including volunteers, police mobile units, and soldiers, worked on cleaning flooded homes.

Seosan City also conducted special disinfection in flooded residential areas and parks.

On July 20, soldiers from the 31st Division of the Army remove wallpaper from a flood-damaged home in Sinan-dong, Buk-gu, Gwangju. Yonhap News 

In Naju City, South Jeolla Province, where the floodwaters had receded, recovery efforts were also ongoing, making for a busy day.

Residents of Bonchon Village in Dasimyeon, which was completely submerged due to a record 410mm of rain from July 17 to the previous day, began removing mud and organizing household items with their neighbors from the morning.

The village head and nearby residents came to the aid of an elderly person living alone in a flooded house, and their children and grandchildren from Gwangju joined in, carrying out unusable electronic appliances and gathering them outside.

Inside the houses, where thick mud clung to everything, the drying mud and water created a mess, and residents lamented, "It feels overwhelming," due to the water that had reached their waists.

In Gwangju and South Jeolla Province, where the worst rainfall in recent history of over 400mm per day occurred from July 17, farmland erosion and flooded homes and roads were reported in various locations.

Search operations were underway in Bu-ri, Sancheong-eup, Sancheong-gun, South Gyeongsang Province, on July 19, following heavy rain and landslides. Yonhap News 

◇ 28 Deaths and Missing in Five Days... Property Damage Mounts

According to the CDSCHQ and the National Fire Agency, as of 6 p.m. on July 20, the extreme downpours across the country over the past five days have resulted in 17 deaths and 11 missing persons.

By region, deaths include 1 in Osan, Gyeonggi Province; 2 in Gapyeong; 2 in Seosan, Chungnam Province; 1 in Dangjin; 10 in Sancheong, South Gyeongsang Province; and 1 in Buk-gu, Gwangju. Missing persons include 1 in Buk-gu, Gwangju; 5 in Gapyeong; 1 in Pocheon; and 4 in Sancheong.

As rescue and relief operations are ongoing, the number of casualties may change.

Facility damage has also increased, with 1,999 cases of public facility damage, including flooded roads, soil erosion, and collapsed river facilities, and 2,238 cases of private property damage, including flooded buildings and farmland.

The number of residents displaced by the heavy rainfall has been tallied at 13,492 people from 9,782 households across 95 cities, counties, and districts in 15 provinces and cities.

A total of 2,444 people from 1,629 households are receiving temporary housing.

On the morning of July 20, restoration work is underway on a section of Sancheong-daero in Sinan-myeon, Sancheong-gun, South Gyeongsang Province, where soil flowed onto the road due to heavy rain and landslides the previous day. Yonhap News 

As the heavy rains continue, 62 flights have been canceled, and 8 national roads are under closure.

The Gyeongui Line between Daegok and Uijeongbu has suspended operations due to soil inflow, while other trains are running normally.

The total cumulative rainfall by region from July 16 to 5 p.m. on July 20 includes Sancheong at 793.5mm, Hapcheon at 699.0mm, Hadong at 621.5mm, Gwangyang at 617.5mm, Changnyeong at 600mm, Haman at 584.5mm, Seosan at 578.3mm, and Damyang at 552.5mm.

The cumulative daily rainfall by region as of 5 p.m. was concentrated in the Gyeonggi Province area, with Gapyeong at 197.5mm, Uijeongbu at 178.5mm, and Yangju in Gyeonggi Province at 154.5mm.

Yoon Ho-joong, head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, urged, "Please carefully provide relief supplies to ensure there are no inconveniences for the displaced residents staying in temporary shelters and focus all efforts on emergency recovery to help them return to their daily lives as soon as possible."

Yoon Ho-joong, Minister of the Interior and Safety and head of the CDSCHQ, presides over a meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters to address flood response at the Central Disaster Safety Situation Room in the Government Complex-Sejong on July 20. 

Yonhap News