Two rescue workers killed in floods as boats capsize
SEOUL: Two rescue workers were killed and five were missing yesterday after their boats overturned in floodwaters as heavy rain across the Korean peninsula threatened to bring new floods and landslides.
Parts of South Korea have seen 44 consecutive days of rain, the longest monsoon since 2013.
Three rescue boats were trying to free a police boat stuck in wire by a dam near the city of Chuncheon, to the northeast of Seoul, when they overturned and were swept over the dam, Yonhap news agency reported.
One body was found near the dam and another was recovered about 20km downstream.
At least 16 people have been killed, 11 are missing and more than 1,600 have been displaced over recent days.
In Seoul, the Han River swelled over its banks in some areas after authorities were forced to open floodgates on upstream dams.
Some highways by the river had to be closed, Yonhap news agency reported.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun visited some of the hardest-hit areas and urged the government to consider designating several provinces special disaster zones.
A decision on that could come by today, Yonhap reported, and such a designation would enable more government aid to be granted.
Emergency workers have also implemented measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in gyms and community centres being used as shelters.
North Korea has not been spared the misery — state media published pictures of flooded streets but did not give any detail of damage or casualties.
The government in North Korea had issued a flooding alert for areas near some its biggest rivers and lakes, the Rodong Sinmun newspaper reported.