Villages in Sinan-myeon of Sancheong, South Gyeongsang Province, are strewn with earth and debris on Sunday, following heavy rainfall the previous day. (Yonhap)
Villages in Sinan-myeon of Sancheong, South Gyeongsang Province, are strewn with earth and debris on Sunday, following heavy rainfall the previous day. (Yonhap)

Sancheong in South Gyeongsang Province has been the hardest hit by five days of torrential rainfall, leaving eight people dead and six others missing, authorities said Sunday.

As of 10:21 a.m., regional fire authorities had reported eight deaths, six missing persons and two severely injured due to the heavy rains.

Casualties have continued to be reported, with the most recent case coming Sunday. At around 6:55 a.m., a woman in her 70s was found dead during a search for missing residents in the Sancheong village of Buri. The location was near where a man in his 70s and a woman in her 20s had previously been found dead, after their homes collapsed due to a landslide.

With rescue efforts ongoing, authorities have warned the death toll could rise.

Infrastructure damage in the region included flooded roads and farmland, with 4,154 cases reported.

Sicheon-myeon in Sancheong saw 798 millimeters of accumulated rainfall over four days beginning Wednesday. On Saturday, local officials sent an emergency alert at 1:50 p.m., urging all residents to evacuate to safe areas. A total of 6,848 residents were evacuated, and 3,167 remained displaced.

Prime Minister Kim Min-seok has directed Agriculture Minister Song Mi-ryung to visit the area and coordinate relief efforts Sunday.

Nationwide, heavy rainfall over the past five days has left 14 people dead and another 12 missing. A total of 12,921 people had been temporarily evacuated as of 4 a.m., with 4,638 still unable to return home.


shinjh@heraldcorp.com