Body of Missing Septuagenarian Found After 8 Days; More 'Water Bombs' Expected This Weekend

A body, presumed to be that of a man in his 70s who went missing after being swept away by a flash flood in Yeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, on the 9th during a heavy rain warning, has been discovered after an eight-day search.

Fire authorities stated that the body, believed to be that of a man in his 70s identified as A, was found around 11:30 a.m. today (July 16) near Iljul Bridge in Anjeong-myeon, Yeongju, North Gyeongsang Province.

The location where the body was found is approximately 12 km downstream from Namwon Stream, where A originally went missing, toward the Seocheon area.

A went missing on the morning of the 9th at around 10:00 a.m. after losing his footing and being swept away by rising waters while walking along the banks of Namwon Stream with a social welfare worker.

At the time, Mungyeong, North Gyeongsang Province, had received over 170 mm of rain over two days. Following the accident, fire rescue teams, police, public health centers, and other relevant agencies conducted searches for over a week but were unable to locate A.

After deploying more than 400 personnel per day, the body presumed to be A was discovered on the eighth day of the search.

The police plan to investigate the exact circumstances of the death, including confirming the identity through forensic examination of the body.

Meanwhile, monsoon rain is expected to continue throughout the three-day holiday starting tomorrow (July 17), which is Constitution Day.

The rain, which began primarily in the Chungcheong, Honam, and Jeju regions, is expected to expand nationwide starting on the 18th. The Korea Meteorological Administration stated that there is a high possibility of localized torrential rain in the central region, particularly from the early morning to the morning of the 18th.

The agency also predicted that heavy rain, intense enough to trigger the issuance of emergency disaster text messages for heavy rain—which are sent when rainfall reaches several tens of millimeters per hour in certain areas—will pour down over the weekend.

The Korea Meteorological Administration emphasized that thorough advance preparations are necessary, as significant damage has already occurred this month through the 15th, with over 400 mm of rain falling in the mountainous regions of Jeju and around 350 mm in the Chungcheong region.

Reported by Kim Taewon | Video by Lee Dain | Graphics by Yang Hyemin | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.