Landslide leaves five dead, two missing in South Korea

At least five people were killed and two others are missing in South Korea on Saturday, July 19, following a landslide triggered by torrential rain, according to a new report from the Korean fire service. A previous report put the death toll at three and the number of missing at three.

The landslide, triggered by heavy rains in the southern Sancheong region, buried two houses in a village Saturday morning, firefighters said. "At least two people are missing, two people are in cardiac arrest, and five people have been killed," the firefighters said in a statement, adding that 16 people had been rescued so far. Several of the dead were found in their homes, drowned or buried under mud, the firefighters said.

The Sancheong region issued an evacuation alert at noon Saturday for its 34,000 residents, urging them to "immediately evacuate to a safe area." Six residents are currently beyond rescue reach, including two people trapped inside a house, according to fire officials. In addition to the casualties recorded Saturday, at least four people have lost their lives in recent days, and more than 7,000 have been forced to evacuate their homes.

South Korea typically experiences monsoon rains in July, but southern parts of the country saw some of the heaviest hourly rainfall on record this week , according to official weather data. The Seosan region in the west of the country recorded rainfall reaching 114.9 millimeters per hour—a level seen only once every 100 years. In the south, the city of Naju received 445 millimeters of rain in two days—a historic record, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Safety.

South Korea is regularly hit by floods during the summer monsoon, but is generally well prepared, with relatively low casualties.

The country suffered record-breaking rains and floods in 2022, which killed at least 11 people. The government declared the rainfall the heaviest since weather records began in Seoul. Scientists say climate change has made weather events more extreme and frequent worldwide.