Landslide leaves 32 dead in South Korea

Seoul - The worst rains in a century have caused mudslides that have killed at least 32 people in South Korea, including in the capital, Seoul, were 16 people died on Wednesday.

Bloomberg reported another landslide hit a resort village near the city of Chuncheon, east of the capital, killing 13 and three died in Gwangju in the country’s Gyeonggi Province. The Korea Times said another 50 people were injured, four in critical condition and that the heavy rain is expected to continue until Friday. The Times said the floodwaters had inundated roads and residential areas in and around Seoul as well as causing electricity blackouts and stranding thousands of vehicles. At least two people were missing, the report said. Choi Jun-yong, 33, from Chuncheon, said: “I saw a house being swept away by the landslide on my way home and called the police immediately. The house was soon smashed into pieces. It happened in a flash.” The Guardian said 15 inches (38 centimetres) of rain fell in 17 hours and more than 10 inches (25 centimetres) are expected in the next three days. Seoul city officials were planning to shut down two main highways on either side of the Han River because of the threat of flooding and the report added that some 60 houses were cut off, with rescue workers trying to reach them. Videos of the disaster can be seen here on the Washington Post’s Blog.