Tongyeong Apartment Underground Parking Lot Flooded with 12,000 Tons of Water: "First Time Seeing This"

"I've lived here for about 10 years, and it's the first time it has ever flooded like this from heavy rain."

On the afternoon of the 18th, the loud roaring sound of drainage pumps echoed near the entrance of the underground parking lot of an apartment complex in Misu-dong, Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province.

A resident in his 60s surnamed Oh stomped his feet in frustration, saying, "The drainage is a bit slower than expected, which is frustrating. There is one car inside, and even if the water is pumped out, I probably won't be able to drive it again. But if they drain the water quickly, I could at least process the insurance claim sooner."

At this apartment complex, home to around 230 households, the underground parking lot was completely submerged due to record-breaking downpours that hit Tongyeong on the 17th.

Even on this day, the second day of the flooding, the fire authorities deployed water tanker trucks and pumper trucks on both sides of the underground parking lot to continue drainage operations.

Drainage hoses were installed not only at the entrance of the underground parking lot but also across various stairwells connecting each residential building to the underground parking lot to carry out the pumping work.

However, as of this day, only about 25% of the estimated flood volume (16,000 tons) has been drained, and the fire authorities estimate that roughly 12,000 tons of water still remain inside.

The operation has been somewhat slow as soil, sediment, and trash swept in by the record downpour float around inside the underground parking lot and repeatedly clog the drainage pumps.

In fact, at the scene on the afternoon of this day, firefighters were repeatedly captured wading into the water inside the underground parking lot to scoop out floating debris with net poles, frequently pulling out wet clumps of tree branches, plastic bottles, and other trash while sweating profusely.

It is estimated that around 70 vehicles that residents failed to evacuate in time remain inside the underground parking lot.

Residents frequently wandered around the perimeter of the underground parking lot, watching how the work was progressing and feeling anxious.

Lim Mo (63) said, "An announcement was made over the PA system at around 5:20 to 5:30 yesterday morning, so I went right down and moved my car out. At that time, about half of the car's tires were already submerged, but I'm glad I managed to get it out right away." He added, "The drainage process is quite loud, but considering there are no casualties inside, I think that's a relief."

Fire authorities expect that complete drainage will take at least another one to two days.

A fire official stated, "Deploying large-capacity drainage pump trucks would shorten the drainage time, but there is a lot of floating debris and soil, so we need to monitor the situation. We are currently utilizing all available resources to carry out the work."

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