Torrential rain sweeps across Korea, leaving one dead

Torrential rain, accompanied by lightning and thunder, battered the country Sunday, with at least one person dead, several roads closed, trains halted and houses flooded.



Seoul, Incheon and cities in Gyeonggi Province were the hardest hit, with more than 100 millimeters of rain pouring down till Sunday afternoon, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration.



A 96-year-old man died at his home when it was flooded in Incheon at around 10 a.m. He was found floating on the water inside the house. He was immediately taken to the hospital, but died.



There were about 128 reports of houses flooded in Incheon alone, according to fire departments. In Seoul, there were 20 reports.



As of 3 p.m., Goyang had received the most rainfall at 155.5 mm per hour, followed by Uiwang at 135.5 mm, Seoul at 133.5 mm, Siheung at 129 mm, Gunpo at 121 mm and Paju at 107.5 mm, according to the weather agency. Except Seoul, all the cities are in Gyeonggi Province.



The KMA issued a heavy rain warning in the country’s northern Gyeonggi Province -- around Paju and Goyang specifically -- at 8:20 a.m. and Seoul and Incheon at 9:20 a.m. At 9:45 a.m., six cities and counties, including Anyang and Suwon in Gyeonggi Province, were added to the list.



As of 11 a.m., the heavy rain warnings had been issued in 13 cities. But all warnings were lifted by 2:40 p.m.



A heavy rain warning is issued when a region receives more than 110 mm of rain in six hours or if more than 180 mm of rain is expected in the next 12 hours.





A street in Incheon is flooded after a heavy downpour swept across South Korea on Sunday. (Yonhap)

A part of Cheonggye Stream in central Seoul and Jeungsan Bridge in northwestern Seoul were shut down, police said. Traffic was also restricted in parts of Gaehwa-dong, Incheon, and of riverside road Jayuro near Goyang, Gyeonggi Province.Heavy rains accompanied by thunder and lightning led to blackouts in some areas of Gyeonggi Province.Seven workers at a subway station in Incheon, west of Seoul, were rescued after they were marooned when a construction site was flooded.Some 125 people were trapped in a camping site in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, after a bridge was destroyed due to the downpour.According to Korea Railroad Corp., the state-run railway operator, trains connecting Bupyeong Station and Incheon Station were halted in both directions due to an electrical malfunction after a lightning hit the tracks.The Ministry of Public Safety and Security sent a warning text message for Koreans to refrain from outdoor activities and residents in areas at risk of flooding and landslides to evacuate.Meanwhile, unaffected by the monsoon front, heat wave continued in the southern part of the country, with the temperature reaching 35 degrees Celsius in Gwangju and Daegu.By Ock Hyun-ju ( laeticia.ock@heraldcorp.com