Landslide in South Korea kills one amid heavy weekend rainfall

GEOJE, South Korea, Aug. 17 (Yonhap) -- More than 800 millimeters of rain has pounded South Gyeongsang Province, including Geoje, over the weekend, triggering a landslide in the city that killed a resident, authorities said Monday.

The city of Geoje, more than 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, received 805.7 mm of rain from Saturday through 8 a.m. Monday, while Tongyeong in the province received 671.9 mm during the same period, with other parts of the province receiving between 240 mm and 340 mm.

Heavy rain warnings were in effect in five areas of the province, including Geoje and Tongyeong, as of Monday morning, while lower-level heavy rain advisories were also in effect across many parts of the region.

Downpours battered Geoje, triggering a landslide in a neighborhood at 4:42 a.m. Monday that struck an apartment building.

Police and firefighters rescued three residents from the landslide-hit apartment building, but one of them was found in cardiac arrest and was later pronounced dead at a hospital.

Firefighters received more than 20 calls overnight from residents in Geoje seeking help over various rain-related accidents and damage, authorities said.

Heavy rain caused several streams in Geoje to overflow, flooding roads and triggering a separate landslide in a neighborhood that struck a house. No casualties were reported in that incident.

As of Monday morning, both Geoje and Tongyeong were being hit by rainfall of up to 100 mm per hour, with the weather agency forecasting up to an additional 150 mm of rain in parts of the province throughout the day.