At least two individuals lost their lives and several more are missing due to severe downpours in South Korea, according to officials. The accommodating weather, flooding, and landslides have resulted in a death toll of 14, as torrential rains have affected the nation for an entire week. Close to 170mm of rain hit the resort town of Gapyeong county in Gyeonggi province, approximately 70km east of Seoul, early on Sunday. During a period of heavy rainfall, a landslide engulfed houses and floods swept away vehicles. The confirmed death count from the five-day deluge stood at 14, in accordance with official data, suggesting that climate change has made extreme weather events more frequent and intense worldwide. The rainfall, which initially affected southern parts of South Korea, began on Wednesday and as of 6am on Sunday, eight individuals were left missing, mainly in the southern and central regions of the country. Government reports stated that the heavy rain, which earlier impacted southern parts of South Korea, was affecting the northern regions on Sunday morning. A woman in her 70s died when her house collapsed in a landslide around 4.40am on Sunday in Gapyeong, as reported by Yonhap news agency. The majority of the deaths occurred in the southern county of Sancheong, which experienced almost 800mm of rain since Wednesday. Although South Korea usually prepares for monsoon rains in July, the southern regions were struck by extraordinarily intense downpours, including some of the heaviest hourly rainfall on record. The forecast predicted the rainfall to cease on Sunday and be followed by a heatwave. In 2022, South Korea experienced record-breaking rains and flooding, resulting in at least 11 fatalities.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/20/south-korea-rains-weeks-death-toll-rises-to-11-with-more-missing
