Photo : YONHAP News
Heavy rains are being reported in the eastern parts of Gangwon, as well as the central Chungcheong provinces and southern regions on Saturday, as heavy rain alerts remain in place for most of the nation.
According to the weather agency, a deluge of 30 to 50 millimeters per hour is being observed in the southern part of the country, while as of 11 a.m., some 200 millimeters of rain had accumulated in the southern port city of Busan.
At around 8:45 a.m., a sinkhole measuring ten meters wide and five meters long occurred on a road in Busan’s Sasang District, causing two trucks to fall underneath. Fire authorities in Busan also responded to some 110 reports of rain damage, including flooding on roads and underground parking lots.
In the South Gyeongsang city of Changwon, a record-high rainfall of 109-point-five millimeters per hour was recorded at around 1 a.m., while some 250 millimeters of rain were recorded in the central regions of Seosan, Taean, and Daejeon since Friday.
As of 10 a.m, the National Forest Service(NFS) elevated the landslide crisis alert to “vigilance” for nine cities and provinces, including Busan, Daegu, Gwangju, Ulsan, North and South Jeolla provinces, North and South Gyeongsang provinces, and Jeju Island.