Two-Lane Road Collapses... Tongyeong Hit Hard by Heavy Rains

[Anchor]

Our reporting team visited the sites scarred by the heavy downpours.

Reporter Kim Su-yun has the story.

[Reporter]

A slope in Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province.

Due to the heavy rain during the holiday period, parts of the two-lane road leading to a temple on the slope cracked and collapsed.

Water and sewage pipes beneath the road were left exposed as the ground itself gave way entirely, making passage impossible. Recovery work began as the rain stopped.

With the access route to the temple completely blocked, construction is underway to build a temporary road by filling soil from the bottom up.

[Park Eun-hee / Bongpyeong-dong, Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province: They need to restore it quickly so it is easier for us to get around. We are just holding out for a little while with the food we have at home.]

Nearby shops and houses that suffered flood damage are struggling with recovery efforts, hauling out wet furniture and appliances while feeling utterly overwhelmed.

[Kim Seok-geun / Bongpyeong-dong, Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province: We have been clearing things out for two days now, but we still haven't been able to finish cleaning up.]

The heavy rains also left heavy damage on key industrial sites in Tongyeong.

At an anchovy processing plant in Sanyang-eup, mud and debris that cascaded down from a nearby mountain flooded the building, making it difficult even to enter.

The freezer warehouse collapsed, and various equipment including anchovy drying machines broke down, ruining all the anchovies stored ahead of shipment. The dormitory for foreign workers also collapsed, leaving the business facing the prospect of closure.

[Cho Hyung-ho / Anchovy Plant Operator: You could say we lost more than 300 million won. As you can see, I don't even dare to think about recovering. There is nowhere to dry the anchovies, and we are on the verge of closing down our business right now.]

Traditional market merchants whose goods were all washed away have also suffered massive losses.

[Choi Dong-soon / Herb Vendor: (Where did all the items you were selling go?) They are gone. They were all carried away by the rainwater, so what can you do?]

[Shin Ok-yeol / Wallpaper and Flooring Vendor: Since everything becomes unsellable even if it gets slightly wet, we have no choice but to throw it all away.]

Water surged up to the display stands in stores due to the extreme downpours.

Even after continuously wiping the floor with mops, muddy water still squeezes out.

While recovery work is underway across Tongyeong, it is expected to take a considerable amount of time for citizens to fully return to their daily routines.

(Video reporting: Kyungmun, Video editing: Park Na-young)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.