An asphalt road and pedestrian walkway in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, were washed away Monday as heavy rain caused widespread damage across the region. [Provided by reader]
An asphalt road and pedestrian walkway in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, were washed away Monday as heavy rain caused widespread damage across the region. [Provided by reader]

The National Fire Agency issued a national fire mobilization order Monday after torrential rain struck Geoje and Tongyeong in South Gyeongsang Province, triggering widespread flooding and landslides.

A total of 1,947 emergency calls related to the downpour had been received from the two cities as of Monday, the agency said.

Firefighters conducted 20 rescue operations, saving 136 people in all.

Geoje accounted for 1,634 of the calls, with nine rescue operations bringing 126 people to safety. Tongyeong logged 313 calls, and 11 operations rescued 10 people there.

The storm has left four people hurt — one fatally — as of Monday.

In Okpo-dong, Geoje, a landslide buried a residential facility, killing one person and injuring two others. A separate landslide in Golli-ri, Tongyeong, left one person with minor injuries.

The agency activated its emergency operations center at 2:40 a.m. Monday and held three situation-assessment meetings chaired by the acting fire commissioner, with saving lives set as the top priority.

Two national fire mobilization orders were then issued — at 6:23 a.m. and 6:35 a.m. — to reinforce firefighting capacity in the affected areas.

The response drew on 361 South Gyeongsang Province firefighters and 26 additional personnel mobilized under the national order, for a total of 387 personnel and 84 pieces of equipment. The Central 119 Rescue Headquarters also deployed 47 personnel and 13 vehicles.

As flooding of roads and homes and landslides erupted simultaneously across multiple locations, the Central 119 Rescue Headquarters dispatched rescue boats and a high-capacity foam-discharge system to the scene.

Ten off-road pump trucks were urgently mobilized from four cities and provinces — Busan, Daegu, North Gyeongsang Province and Changwon.

At a flooded underground parking garage in Jangseungpo-dong, Geoje, crews were preparing to deploy the high-capacity foam-discharge system to pump out the water.

The director of the 119 Response Bureau and on-site situation managers were also dispatched to Geoje and Tongyeong.

The bureau director is working alongside the South Gyeongsang Province Emergency Rescue Control Unit to assess conditions on the ground and coordinate agency-by-agency support needed for recovery.

The South Gyeongsang Province Emergency Rescue Control Unit requested additional excavators and water pumps for road clearing and debris removal in Geoje. It also called on Korea Electric Power Corporation to restore power and asked police to control traffic on damaged roads, coordinating the cleanup with relevant agencies.

About 30 excavators are currently operating in Geoje, removing debris and washed-away materials as part of the recovery effort.

Emergency rescue support agencies — including police, local governments, the military, Korea Water Resources Corporation and Korea Electric Power Corporation — have also deployed personnel to assist with recovery and safety management.

The National Fire Agency said it will continue drainage and recovery support and on-site safety measures even after rescue operations conclude, to guard against secondary damage from additional rainfall, landslides and flooding.


gil@heraldcorp.com