"A Scene I've Never Seen in My Life"... Mudslide Collapses in an Instant

"I have lived here for 15 years, and I have never seen anything like this. The rain was pouring down so hard it was terrifying."

Around 10:00 a.m. yesterday (July 9), a resident surnamed Baek (in her 60s) in front of an apartment complex in Songgang-dong, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, said, "The sound of the rain was so intense that I was anxious all night, fearing something terrible might happen."

The back gate of the apartment complex faces a small hill across a four-lane road, and soil that had washed down from the hillside due to the overnight rain was completely covering the road.

This area is often used by residents for parking due to a lack of space within the complex, especially at night, which led to damages such as wrecked vehicles.

Baek said, "From dawn, mud was sliding down, and residents were frantic trying to move their parked cars," adding, "My husband also rushed to move his car, but he called me to say that when he went to work, there was so much sand and dirt inside that the car was making a loud noise."

Another resident surnamed Lee (in his 40s) said, "I was looking outside from my home at 6:00 a.m. when one side of the hillside turned into a waterfall, pouring down rainwater and mud," adding, "The pile of dirt collapsed right onto a car that hadn't been moved in time."

The Yuseong-gu Office in Daejeon issued a disaster text message at 7:49 a.m. that day to inform residents about the mudslide and advise them to take detours, while also deploying heavy equipment, such as excavators, and personnel for emergency road restoration work.

Apartment management office staff also came out from 6:00 a.m. to help guide residents in moving their vehicles.

Apartment residents watching the restoration work felt relieved that there were no casualties, but they could not hide their lingering anxiety.

A resident surnamed Jang (in his 50s), who said he has lived in the apartment for 30 years, stated, "No matter how much it rained before, soil had never washed down like this. I have never seen a scene like this in my life," adding, "It is especially worrying because there is a daycare center near the hill by the back gate, and it is a place where residents frequently pass by."

Since the 8th, heavy rain of around 200mm has poured across Daejeon, Sejong, and South Chungcheong Province, leading to a series of reports on fallen trees and flooded roads and homes throughout the region.

As of 11:00 a.m. that day, a total of 229 reports of storm and flood damage were received in South Chungcheong Province, and 54 in Daejeon, with authorities taking action.

In the restaurant and shopping district near Donghaksa Temple in Gongju, South Chungcheong Province, large-scale flooding occurred from that morning due to overflowing valley water, prompting authorities to intervene.

By the afternoon, the area in front of the Donghaksa restaurant and shopping district resembled a mudflat, with mud, tree branches, and other debris piled up everywhere.

Volunteer firefighters and residents worked hard to remove the mud and repair damaged drainage and water pipes.

The flooding was particularly concentrated on five or six shops under the Third Hakbong Bridge. Merchants said that as debris, including rocks, was swept away all at once, even the drainage and water pipes were blocked or damaged, causing the water to rise before they could do anything.

An 80-year-old merchant who runs a restaurant right below the valley raised his voice, saying, "Because the drainage facilities are usually too close to the valley, they get blocked even when the water rises just a little, making them completely useless."

A merchant at a boutique that suffered flood damage said, "I experienced flooding the year before last, but this is the first time the water rose past my ankles to nearly my knees," adding, "It is so disheartening that all my products are soaked," as they shoveled out the mud piled high on the shop floor.

According to the Daejeon Regional Meteorological Administration, precipitation from 12:00 a.m. on the 8th to 11:00 a.m. on the 9th was recorded at 262.0mm in Cheonan, 246.5mm in Gyeryong, 235.5mm in Goun-dong, Sejong, and 230mm in Jang-dong, Daejeon.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.