MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th July, 2023) Heavy rains have left about 4,000 households in the South Korean capital of Seoul, with 134 people nationwide having been evacuated, the Yonhap news agency reported early on Friday, citing officials.
More than 2,000 households in Seoul's Seodaemun Ward have been cut off from power supply after a tree had fallen on a high-voltage power line, the agency cited the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters as saying. Another 2,000 households in Seoul's Dobong Ward have also experienced power outages due to heavy rains. The power supply to most of the affected households has been restored as of Friday morning, the report said.
The authorities have evacuated a total of 134 people nationwide due to heavy rains, including 77 in Seoul, with 104 of them still staying away from their homes over rain damage concerns, the agency reported.
Most parts of South Korea have been under heavy rain advisories as of Friday morning, with areas of Seoul forecast to face up to 50 millimeters per hour in rain. Southern parts of Gyeonggi Province, southern inland and mountainous areas of Gangwon Province, Chungcheong Province and North Jeolla Province were forecast to see accumulated precipitation of up to 200 millimeters throughout Saturday, the report said.
South Korean Prime Minister Han Deok-soo instructed the government, during an emergency response meeting with government officials early on Friday, to make every effort to prevent damage from heavy rains "until the end of the monsoon, with the focus on prioritizing the prevention of casualties," as quoted by Yonhap.
Han also urged other relevant agencies to activate efforts to promptly restore any emergency, including power outages and damaged roads, as well as to prepare for a possible release of water by North Korea from Hwanggang Dam near the border, the report said.
