1 Dead After Landslide Hits Apartment in Geoje Amid Torrential Rains; National Fire Mobilization Order Issued

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In Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, where extreme torrential rains of over 100 millimeters per hour battered the area overnight, a landslide struck an apartment building, leaving one resident dead and two others with minor injuries. The fire authorities have issued a national fire mobilization order for Geoje to handle the situation.

Reporter Cho Min-ki has the details.

[Reporter]

An apartment in Okpo-dong, Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, early this morning (August 17).

Safety fences were bent and collapsed by a landslide, while cascading mud, soil, and trees buried the first floor of the apartment complex.

During the accident, a resident trapped on the first floor was rescued in cardiac arrest and transported to a hospital, but ultimately died.

Police and fire officials additionally rescued two residents from the first floor.

In Geoje, more than 800 millimeters of rain have fallen since the day before yesterday, with extreme downpours exceeding 100 millimeters per hour hitting overnight, leading to a cascade of flooding and isolation damages.

Nine roads were restricted due to river overflows and flooding, and landslides occurred at 11 locations.

Successive power outages caused disruptions for 1,500 households.

A total of 107 residents evacuated to community centers and other shelters, and 60 of them have yet to return home.

Having issued a national fire mobilization order this morning, the fire department has received over 1,600 heavy rain reports and rescued 126 people in Geoje alone.

The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters held a meeting presided over by Interior and Safety Minister Yoon Ho-jung, deciding to urgently provide 3 billion won in special allocation taxes and 40 million won in disaster relief project funds to affected regions including South Gyeongsang and South Jeolla provinces.

In Geoje, which is currently the only area nationwide under a heavy rain warning, strong rainfall of around 30 millimeters per hour is forecast to continue into the afternoon.

(Photo courtesy of Gyeongnam Fire Headquarters)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.