Worst torrential rain in decades paralyzes Seoul

SEOUL, July 27 (Yonhap) -- Seoul citizens are struggling to cope with the city's worst flood damage in decades, with a dozen people killed in landslides caused by downpours, thousands of houses and buildings destroyed, streets and residential districts submerged, public transportation services crippled, and banking and mobile communications services suspended.
As a record 400 millimeters of rainfall battered the Seoul metropolitan area on Wednesday and Thursday, thousands of salaried workers and students gave up going to their workplaces or campuses, while commuters were stranded on the flooded roads.



Apartment complexes in low-lying southern Seoul districts were inundated with water.
"How come this can happen?" a 62-year-old man, named Kim Jong-kuk, asked, pointing to his hillside village in southern Seoul, which was severely damaged by a landslide.
Kim, whose village lost at least 10 people in the landslide, said all public utility services, including power and water, have been cut off in his village in Bangbae-dong.
Another villager, 42-year-old Kim Woo-jin, said he has lived in the village for more than 40 years and has never experienced such a horrible downpour and landslide.
"As streets near the apartment complex were flooded, buses were not operating and even motorists gave up driving to work," said Kim Hee-soo, an office worker in southern Seoul. "I plan to stay home until water drains out."



Most subway lines in Seoul and metropolitan areas ran normally with fewer passengers, though some low-lying stations suspended operations in the morning due to flood damage, subway officials said.
"When I usually ride the subway at around 5:30 a.m, seats are usually full of passengers. I could easily find seats today, and it seemed that there were less than half the usual number of passengers," said a 28-year-old office worker, who uses busy Subway Line 2.



Affected by the blackouts, about 150 traffic signs stopped operation earlier in the day, police said, interfering with slower-moving vehicles due to low visibility.
Although 14 educational institutions in Seoul metropolitan areas reported flood damage, authorities said there were no casualties as most schools were closed for summer vacation. However, some colleges, including Yonsei University in western Seoul, had to cancel summer classes due to waterlogged classrooms.
Cultural events and sports games were also hampered by the record-high rainfall. Seoul Arts Center -- an arts complex that houses museums and music halls -- canceled all scheduled events and suspended operations for the time being due to damage from a landslide on a nearby mountain in southern Seoul. Baseball games were called off due to rain.



Locals relied on Twitter and Google for information after heavy torrential rain hit overnight and early Wednesday in the Seoul metropolitan area and central regions. Many smartphone users shared photos and real-time updated traffic information.
Some businesses and individuals reported Internet and telecommunications problems, which they blamed on the torrential rain.
Later Wednesday, senior officials at the Seoul municipal government, police agency and Capital Defense Command held an emergency meeting to discuss anti-disaster measure to help restore inundated areas, search for missing people buried in landslides and compensate flood victims, officials said.
The Seoul city government said it has mobilized more than 1,700 police officers to control main roads in the capital city and to inspect flooded areas, especially in the hard-hit southern region.
ejkim@yna.co.kr