Five killed, hundreds homeless after torrential rain

SEOUL, July 17 (Yonhap) -- Five people were killed and hundreds of others were
left homeless on Thursday as heavy rains pounded the country's southern region,
the disaster relief agency said Friday.

Three people were found dead in mudslides in Busan and nearby areas of South
Gyeongsang Province, the National Emergency Management Agency said.
A 66-year-old woman drowned in a rural area of the province, and a 42-year-old
man who was operating a water pump was killed by an electric shock in South
Jeolla Province, the agency said.
A man in his 30s was swept away by overflowing stream.
Busan, South Korea's second-largest city, saw 266.5mm of rain on Thursday alone,
leaving 176 people homeless and 635 houses flooded in the metropolitan area,
according to the relief agency.
A total of 410 people were left homeless and over 1,200 houses were flooded or
otherwise damaged throughout the region, it said.
Some 3,084 hectares of farmland were also flooded and five local roads were
blocked due to flooding, the agency said, estimating it will cost about 25
billion won (US$19.7 million) to repair the damage.
Thirteen domestic flights were canceled and 20 others were delayed due to the
weather, it added.
brk@yna.co.kr
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