Hapcheon flooded by 700mm rain

[Anchor]

The city of Hapcheon in Gyeongnam, adjacent to Sancheong, has also suffered serious damage from the heavy rain.

With many elderly residents in the area, there have been ongoing terrifying situations.

Reporter Jo Mi-ryeong reports from the scene in Hapcheon.

[Report]

With over 700mm of rain pouring down, the rivers turned into terrifying torrents of muddy water.

The roof of a pavilion that served as a resting place for residents was swept away, and streetlights collapsed.

Walking paths and sports facilities have all been reduced to ruins.

[Moon Hee-sook/Resident of Gyeongnam Hapcheon County: "Oh my, I couldn't even speak. The central intersection was completely flooded, and I couldn't walk through it. I wanted to see how much water had accumulated."]

In Gahoe-myeon, Hapcheon County, where the river overflowed due to the heavy rain, the entire village became a sea of water, and cows displaced from their barns wandered around in confusion.

Roads along the river and mountain paths were all swept away by the deluge.

Six residents in Yongju-myeon, Hapcheon County, were isolated due to blocked roads and were finally rescued by a rescue team's rubber boat.

[Lee Han-shin/Resident of Gyeongnam Hapcheon County: "The residents went to a nearby field and were isolated since morning because the embankment broke and water overflowed all at once."]

As the flooded areas increased with over 80mm of rain per hour, Hapcheon County issued an evacuation order to residents at noon.

At one point, over 500 people took refuge in 30 locations, including community centers.

Preliminary estimates indicate that over 30 facilities and 57 hectares of farmland in Hapcheon County have been affected by the flooding.

Nine roads and over 20 bridges in Hapcheon County remain closed to access.

Residents, who experienced the heaviest rainfall in a single day in July on record, remain anxious about the possibility of further damage.

This is KBS News, Jo Mi-ryeong reporting.