Rescuers in South Korea pull seven bodies from flooded tunnel, with around 15 cars stuck in muddy water
Published Date – 23rd Sun 16th July 09:03pm
Seoul: Rescuers in South Korea pulled seven bodies from flooded tunnels and about 15 cars were trapped in muddy water as days of heavy rain triggered flash floods and landslides and destroyed homes across the country. Floods and landslides have killed at least 33 people in South Korea and forced thousands to evacuate, officials said Sunday.
Nearly 400 rescuers, including divers, were searching tunnels in Cheongju, where vehicles, including a bus, were destroyed by flash floods on Saturday night, said Seo Jeong-il, head of the Cheongju Fire Department. submerged. briefing. Fire officials estimated the tunnel would fill with water in just two to three minutes.
Photos and video from the scene showed rescuers establishing boundaries and pumping brown water out of the tunnels, while divers used dinghies to get in and out of the area. Yang Chan-mo, an official with the North Chungcheong Fire Department, said it could take several hours to pump out all the water in the tunnel, which was still filled with 4 to 5 meters (13 to 16.4 feet) of water containing large amounts of of water. Dirt and other debris.
Young said workers were working slowly to prevent any victims or survivors from being swept away. Nine survivors were rescued from the tunnel and 11 others are believed to be missing, based on reports from family members or others, Seo said, but the exact number of passengers trapped in the vehicle was unclear. Since July 9, South Korea has been hit by heavy rain continuously.
Rains over the past few days forced more than 6,100 people to evacuate, left 27,260 households without power and dozens of homes were flooded or destroyed, the Interior and Security Ministry said. At least 22 people were being treated for injuries. South Korean President Yoon Hee-yeol, who is visiting Europe, discussed rain-related casualties and damage at an emergency meeting on Saturday as he traveled by train to Poland after a visit to Ukraine, according to his office. Yin called on officials to mobilize all available resources to respond to the disaster.
