One Dead as Record Rainfall Triggers Landslide in South Korea
Xinhua · 2 SOURCESabout 1 hour ago2 MIN
Summary
A powerful landslide struck an apartment building in Okpo-dong, Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea, at approximately 4:42 a.m. on Monday, August 17. Emergency responders rescued two residents from the buried first floor, while a third person was found in cardiac arrest and later confirmed dead at a hospital . The disaster unfolded as Geoje experienced extraordinary rainfall, with over 400mm of precipitation falling between Sunday night and Monday morning alone, and more than 700mm recorded across the three-day Liberation Day holiday period .
Key Points
- Landslide buried the first floor of an apartment building in Okpo-dong, Geoje, at 4:42 a.m. Monday, leaving one dead and two rescued
- Geoje recorded 124.5mm of rain in one hour, the highest since the meteorological agency's records began in 1972
- Total rainfall exceeded 700mm over the Liberation Day holiday weekend, including over 400mm overnight Sunday to Monday
- Bus services, household waste collection, and several tourist attractions were suspended or closed due to flooding
- Record rainfall from back-to-back storms has also caused widespread flooding across Japan, China, and the Philippines
Why It Matters
The extreme weather event highlights the intensifying impact of climate patterns, as forecasters warn that this year's typhoon season is shaping up to be more severe than usual due to a strong El Niño that began in June . Japan experienced "unprecedented" rainfall in Chiba prefecture last week, leaving 10 dead and thousands stranded at Narita Airport, underscoring the regional scale of the crisis . The events serve as a stark reminder of the cascading infrastructure vulnerabilities that accompany record-breaking precipitation across East and Southeast Asia.
The extreme weather event highlights the intensifying impact of climate patterns, as forecasters warn that this year's typhoon season is shaping up to be more severe than usual due to a strong El Niño that began in June . Japan experienced "unprecedented" rainfall in Chiba prefecture last week, leaving 10 dead and thousands stranded at Narita Airport, underscoring the regional scale of the crisis . The events serve as a stark reminder of the cascading infrastructure vulnerabilities that accompany record-breaking precipitation across East and Southeast Asia.