Aftermath of extreme rainfall

[Anchor]

It has been reported that nineteen people have died due to the extreme heavy rain that fell for five days starting from July 16.

Search operations for missing persons are still ongoing.

Just when it seemed the heavy rain had ended, a sudden downpour hit the northern Gyeonggi region during the holiday.

Reporter Choo Jae-hoon reports from the scene devastated by the flood.

[Report]

In a village in Gapyeong, where mud and trees have been washed away, firefighters are actively engaged in recovery efforts.

Excavators have been fully mobilized.

Residents are busy clearing the mud that has rushed in.

[Kim Tae-young/Gapyeong County, Gyeonggi Province: "Pump. (You are pumping out the muddy water.) Yes. (The pump) is blocked right now. It’s blocked, so we can’t do anything."]

The convenience store building has collapsed directly into the river, and the road leading to the village is blocked by a container that was swept in by the water.

[Village Resident/Voice Altered: "This was right behind us. Inside there are refrigerators, microwaves, and all the electronics. They were swept away."]

Trash is scattered across the fields, and the bus stop has been completely destroyed.

Around the flooded river, debris and crops are mixed together.

[Shin Jeong-ja/Gapyeong County, Gyeonggi Province: "Don’t hold onto any hopes for the crops, just give up everything. They can’t survive anyway since their roots have been almost completely uprooted by the mud. Just the necessary things, like the pepper supports and metal stakes…"]

Water has also flooded the livestock barn, sweeping away 15 cows.

After a moment of sadness, residents are now busy clearing the mud and debris.

[Livestock Barn Owner/Voice Altered: "All these trees got caught on the bridge, so the water came into our barn. There’s no place for the cows to sit now. It’s completely a disaster. So the cows keep dying."]

There are traces left where the water rose to waist height.

Branches and trash washed away by the river are piled up around the riverbank.

A vehicle that was swept away is lodged far away, and search operations using rescue dogs are continuing in the vicinity.

Since the heavy rain began on the 16th, nineteen people have died nationwide, and reports of missing persons continue to come in.

This is KBS News, Choo Jae-hoon.