Heavy downpours flood Seoul streets, cause damage

SEOUL, Oct. 18 (Yonhap) -- Heavy downpours accompanied by strong gusts battered Seoul on Sunday, causing urban flooding and safety hazards across the capital city.

According to municipal officials, localized torrential rain inundated parts of the city, as fallen leaves swept by gale-force winds clogged drainage systems.

Gangbuk Ward in the northern part of the city recorded a peak hourly rainfall of 53.5 millimeters, the highest hourly intensity nationwide during the storm.

By 5:00 p.m., Seoul fire authorities had received 129 emergency calls -- 47 calls for drainage assistance, 21 instances of fallen trees and 60 safety inspection requests for public facilities.

Seoul issued an emergency alert via text at 3:16 p.m., urging its residents to stay away from low-lying and high-risk areas amid heavy rainfall in blustery conditions.

While heavy rain advisories covering the northeastern, northwestern, and southwestern districts were lifted at 3:30 p.m., scattered showers persisted throughout the afternoon. Cumulative rainfall as of 5:00 p.m. peaked at 65 mm in Gangbuk Ward, with the southern Songpa District recording a city-low of 20 mm.

Rising water levels forced city officials to restrict access to 16 major urban streams.

Traffic was also disrupted across key corridors. Roads beneath the Jeungsan Bridge in Seodaemun Ward were completely blocked around 3:04 p.m. due to flooding. Weather warnings were also issued for major highways, urging drivers to exercise caution on wet roads and against high winds.

A tree fell onto a busy road in Gangnam Ward in southern Seoul, obstructing traffic and pedestrians. Water levels in Eunpyeong Ward in northwestern Seoul reached above the knees in some low-lying areas.

Some shop owners were seen manually clearing piles of fallen leaves blocking catch basins to expedite drainage.

The inclement weather forced the cancellation of major outdoor public events, such as the Grand Mint Festival scheduled at Olympic Park in Songpa.

Seoul activated Level 1 emergency response protocols at 2:40 p.m. and partially operated 12 rainwater pumping stations to clear inundated roads.

"Although the rain appears to be letting up, reports of damage continue to come in," a Seoul official said. "Our primary focus is on rapidly resolving pending safety reports and preventing secondary accidents in close cooperation with district offices."