Father Dies After Rescuing Son From Valley; Two Swimmers Killed by 3-Meter Waves

A series of fatal accidents involving water activities and agricultural machinery occurred in North Gyeongsang Province on the 5th.

According to fire authorities and other sources, at 10:32 a.m. that day, a man in his 40s who was trying to rescue his elementary school-aged son from drowning in a valley in Sugok-ri, Geunnam-myeon, Uljin-gun, along with another man in his 40s who went to help him, were rescued in a state of cardiac arrest.

According to the fire department and witnesses, when a child playing in the water in the valley drifted away in the current, the father and the other man went in to rescue the child together.

After pulling the child out of the water, the two men fell into a state of cardiac arrest in the water. They were rescued by 119 rescue workers and transferred to a hospital, but ultimately passed away.

The child is reportedly safe.

Earlier at 10:29 a.m., a report was received off the coast in front of Mangyang Hwanggeum Daege Park in Uljin-gun stating, "Two men in their 50s who were swimming are nowhere to be seen."

119 rescue workers arrived at the scene and rescued the two individuals, but both were confirmed dead.

The two were tourists and were found not to have been wearing life jackets at the time of the accident.

At the time, strong winds of 12 to 14 meters per second were blowing at the site, and waves reaching heights of 2.5 to 3 meters were reported.

In accordance with a request from the East Sea Regional Coast Guard, Uljin-gun had sent out an emergency disaster text message at 9:20 a.m. before the accident occurred, stating, "Due to high swells across all areas of the East Coast, there is a high risk of being swept into the sea," and asking people to refrain from entering the water and to move to a safe zone.

The East Sea Regional Coast Guard plans to strengthen safety management for fishing boats and patrols in sea areas with risk factors such as swell waves, anticipating an increase in beachgoers over the weekend.

Water-related accidents also claimed two lives in Gumi.

At 9:07 a.m. that day, a man in his 60s was found dead near the Nakdong River in Imsu-dong, Gumi, and at 12:48 p.m., a man in his 50s was found dead at a reservoir in Otae-dong, Gumi.

The man found at the reservoir had reportedly left home telling his family he was going fishing.

At 6:27 a.m. in Chunsan-myeon, Uiseong-gun, and at 8:42 a.m. in Jukjang-myeon, Pohang, men in their 80s were killed in separate accidents after being crushed by agricultural machinery.

Police are investigating the exact circumstances surrounding each incident.

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