Torrential rain in South Korea’s Gyeongsang province has triggered a landslide in the south-eastern city of Geoje, killing one person and injuring two others.
The landslide buried the first floor of an apartment building on Monday morning. Rescuers pulled three people from the building, with one later declared dead, local media reported.
Geoje recorded 124.5mm of rain in one hour, its highest hourly rainfall since the country’s meteorological agency began keeping records for the city in 1972. More than 400mm of rain fell overnight between Sunday and Monday.
Videos shared on social media showed cars submerged as strong currents swept through city streets.
Authorities have closed some tourist attractions and suspended bus services and household waste collection because of flooded and damaged roads. Residents were urged to avoid driving, stay away from riverbanks and move to safe areas if necessary.
The rainfall comes as successive storms have caused flooding and landslides across parts of East and South East Asia this month.
Late last week, heavy rainfall in Japan’s Chiba prefecture near Tokyo left 10 people dead and stranded thousands at Narita Airport. Japanese authorities said the 10th victim, a man in his 30s, was found dead at home from carbon monoxide poisoning after using a generator during a power outage.
