Heavy rains are wreaking havoc on the South Korean capital, turning streets into rivers.
Last night, a manhole cover in Seocho District, Seoul burst open.
Afterwards, two people were swept inside and have yet to be found despite rescue teams deploying underwater robots,MBC TV reports.
According to the fire chief, the manhole led to the Han River and the constant flow of floodwater prevented rescuers from entering.
At least 10 people have died and seven are missing as heavy rains accompanied by thunderstorms hit Seoul.
It was the heaviest rainfall ever recorded since South Korea began collecting data, submerging vehicles and overwhelming public transport.
Commuters slowly returned to work Tuesday morning after emergency workers worked through the night to clean up much of the clutter.
However, further damage was feared as torrential rains were predicted to continue for days.
Most subway services in the Seoul metropolitan area have returned to normal operations, but dozens of road and riverside parking lots remain closed over safety concerns was.
President Yoon Suk-yeol called on public officials and private companies to coordinate their commute times.
He also urged aggressive action to repair damaged facilities and evacuate people in risk areas to prevent further deaths.
Seoul Defense Ministry spokesman Moon Hong-sik said the military is ready to send troops to assist in the recovery work if requested by cities or local governments.
Rain, caused by the collision of dry, cool air from the north and hot, humid air from the south, began Monday morning and intensified through the evening.
Nearly 800 buildings were damaged in Seoul and neighboring cities, forcing at least 790 people to flee their homes, according to the Ministry of Home Affairs and Security.
People were seen walking through thigh-high bodies of water on Monday night in a street near Gangnam subway station, one of Seoul's busiest business and leisure districts. , cars, taxis and buses were stuck in muddy waters.
Commuters were evacuated as water cascaded down the steps of the Chair subway station.
In the nearby city of Seongnam, a rain-weakened hillside collapsed into a college football field.
Rescuers called for help before drowning in an underground home in the southern Kwanak district. 3 people could not be contacted. Seoul on a Monday night.
Another woman drowned at her home in the nearby Dongjak district. There, she likely was electrocuted while a civil servant was clearing a fallen tree.
Her three bodies were found in the rubble of a landslide and a collapsed bus stop in nearby Gwangju and Hwaseong cities.
Storms also hit North Korea, with officials issuing heavy rain warnings for southern and western North Korea.
North Korea's Rodong Sinmun newspaper called the rains potentially "catastrophic" and called for measures to protect farmland and prevent flooding of the Taedong River, which flows through the capital Pyongyang. asked.
Please contact the news team by sending an email to [email protected].
More articles like this on news pages.
