[Anchor]

A series of accidents occurred overnight in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, as torrential downpours exceeding 100mm per hour lashed the region. Early this morning, a landslide struck an apartment building, leaving one resident dead and two others rescued.

Our first report comes from reporter Cho Min-ki.

[Reporter]

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

The safety fence was bent and collapsed under the weight of the landslide, while mud, debris, and trees surged all the way up to the first floor of the apartment complex.

One resident buried in the first-floor unit was rescued in a state of cardiac arrest and transported to a hospital, where they were pronounced dead.

Police and firefighting authorities rescued two additional residents from the first floor.

Geoje has recorded over 800mm of cumulative rainfall since the day before yesterday, with extreme downpours surpassing 100mm per hour overnight, triggering a cascade of flooding and isolation incidents.

The Jangpyeong-dong area was submerged in muddy water, transforming streets into rivers, while muddy torrents poured onto roads in Okpo-dong, leaving parked vehicles precariously half-submerged.

At around 2:10 AM today, emergency text alerts were dispatched across all of Geoje, warning of the risks of landslides and overflowing rivers.

In particular, torrential rains caused the Seojeongcheon and Suwolcheon streams in Geoje to overflow, flooding roadways and prompting evacuation orders and stay-indoors directives, putting the area on high alert.

Flooding damage was reported in various locations, including villages in Ilun-myeon, and power outages occurred in homes in some areas.

The Korea Forest Service also issued landslide warnings for areas across Geoje.

Geoje city officials urged caution, stating, "In some damaged areas, road flooding and debris are making it difficult even for emergency vehicles such as fire engines to enter."

(Video Editing: Kim Yoon-sung, Footage provided by Gyeongnam Fire Headquarters)