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A deadly landslide, triggered by relentless rainfall, has killed at least one person in South Korea, the national fire agency confirmed on Saturday.
The landslide struck a village in Sancheong county, in the country’s southern region, where two homes were buried beneath tonnes of mud and debris. Officials said three people remain unaccounted for as heavy rain continues to batter the area.
“At least three people have been reported missing and we have recovered one body,” an official from the Sancheong county fire station told AFP. The missing include a person in their twenties and a couple in their seventies, according to the same official.
In a dire warning, Sancheong county authorities urged all residents on Saturday to “evacuate immediately to a safe area.” The county has an estimated population of 34,000.
While monsoon rains are typical in July, the downpours this week have been among the most intense on record in South Korea’s southern regions, according to official weather data.
The Ministry of Interior and Safety reported that at least four people have died in rain-related incidents so far, while over 7,000 residents have been displaced from their homes.
Although South Korea is accustomed to seasonal flooding during the summer monsoon, it generally maintains strong preparedness measures, keeping casualties relatively low. However, recent patterns have shown signs of intensifying.
Scientists warn that climate change is driving more extreme and frequent weather events globally. South Korea, too, has not been spared. In 2022, the country suffered catastrophic floods that left at least 11 people dead, marking one of the deadliest weather disasters in recent years.
