South Korea devastating monsoon rains, landslides kill seven

SEOUL: Landslides and floods triggered by torrential monsoon rains left at least seven dead and three people missing in South Korea, officials said Saturday, with thousands told to evacuate their homes due to an overflowing dam.

The local media reports suggest a rise in the death toll as heavy rainfall under intense monsoon lashed the country for the third consecutive day, causing massive destruction due to flooding in both urban and rural areas.

As the Goesan Dam began overflowing from the downpour, submerging low-lying villages nearby, the interior ministry said over 6,400 residents in the central county were ordered to evacuate this morning.

The seven people killed since Friday died in rain-related landslides and building collapse, it added.

Two of the three people reported missing were swept away when a river overflowed in North Gyeongsang province, the ministry said.

Moreover, the intense downpours caused power cuts across 4,000 households, with the landslides damaging residential areas, and destroying vegetation and infrastructure, Foreign Policy reported.

The government issued a high-alert warning for more flooding to come this weekend as experts forecast as much as 100 millimetres of more showers.

According to the Korea Railroad Corporation, all regular train service nationwide was suspended as of 2:00pm (0500 GMT), although KTX bullet trains remained operational with potential schedule adjustments. 

The ministry said the bullet trains might be delayed due to slower operation after a train derailed late on Friday when a landslide threw earth and sand over tracks in North Chungcheong province. During the incident, an engineer was injured, but no passengers were on board.

South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo urged officials to respond to river overflows and landslides "preemptively", and requested support for rescue operations from the ministry of defence.

The world seems to be hit by the effect of devastating climate change as different regions across the globe witness harsh weather and catastrophic monsoon rains, with more than 100 people reportedly dead in Asia alone this month.

The scientists say there is a bigger chance of heavier downpours across the globe due to climate change triggered by global warming, "because a warmer atmosphere holds more water", a report published by BBC stated.

Last week, the World Meteorological Organization declared the onset of El Niño — a weather event where sea surface temperatures in the tropical eastern Pacific rise to at least 0.5°C above the long-term average — for the first time in seven years.

This set the stage for a surge in global temperatures, as well as disruptive weather and climate patterns, the organisation said. 

Additional input from AFP.