About 6,400 residents were evacuated on Saturday morning local time after the Goesan Dam in north Chungcheong began to overflow.
Several lowland villages near the dam were inundated, as well as many of the roads connecting them. This left some residents trapped in their homes.
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On Friday, a landslide caused a train to derail in north Chungcheong. A technician was injured. The train was not carrying any passengers at this time.
South Korea’s national rail operator Korail has announced the suspension of all regular trains and some high-speed trains. The operator also said other express train services would be disrupted.
The Korea Meteorological Agency forecasts there will be more precipitation until next Wednesday. The agency warned that the weather conditions posed a “serious” hazard.
Extreme rains have caused flooding and landslides in several countries – including India, China and Japan – in the past two weeks.
Though many factors contribute to flooding, scientists say a warmer atmosphere is causing climate change. This makes extreme precipitation more likely.
The warmer it is, the more water vapor the atmosphere can hold, resulting in more water droplets and heavier precipitation. Sometimes in less time in a smaller area.
