A resident sits in a daze Tuesday afternoon in Bongpyeong-dong, Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province, staring at a damaged road and debris scattered by the torrential rains. [Newsis]
A resident sits in a daze Tuesday afternoon in Bongpyeong-dong, Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province, staring at a damaged road and debris scattered by the torrential rains. [Newsis]

Record-breaking torrential rains pounded the southern coast of South Gyeongsang Province — including Geoje and Tongyeong — during the Liberation Day holiday weekend, causing widespread damage. The downpours triggered landslides that buried the lower floors of nearby apartment buildings, washed out roads and flooded major facilities.

Rainfall in Geoje peaked at 124.5 millimeters per hour, while Tongyeong recorded 97.4 millimeters per hour — both breaking all-time single-hour precipitation records for the two cities. Meteorologists described the deluge as a once-in-200-years extreme rain event, and daily rainfall totals reached their highest levels since Typhoon Rusa struck in 2002.

As of Tuesday, 274 households — 498 people — had been evacuated from Geoje and Tongyeong, the two cities hardest hit by the rains, according to the South Gyeongsang Province Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters.

Of those, 129 households comprising 253 people have since returned home. The remaining 145 households — 245 people, including 20 households with 28 residents in Tongyeong and 125 households with 217 residents in Geoje — are still staying at temporary shelters due to flooded homes and the risk of further landslides.

Provincial and municipal civil servants from Geoje and Tongyeong, along with volunteers, have been deployed to the affected areas to clear mud and debris, drain flooded facilities and carry out recovery work.

A landslide buries a road at the foot of a hill in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, on Monday afternoon as record rains lash the area. The surrounding zone has been cordoned off. [Newsis]
A landslide buries a road at the foot of a hill in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, on Monday afternoon as record rains lash the area. The surrounding zone has been cordoned off. [Newsis]
A police officer surveys landslide debris piled up at an apartment complex in Okpo-dong, Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, on Tuesday morning after extreme rainfall triggered a landslide. [Yonhap]
A police officer surveys landslide debris piled up at an apartment complex in Okpo-dong, Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, on Tuesday morning after extreme rainfall triggered a landslide. [Yonhap]
Landslide debris piles up at an apartment complex in Okpo-dong, Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, on Tuesday morning after extreme rainfall struck the area. [Yonhap]
Landslide debris piles up at an apartment complex in Okpo-dong, Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, on Tuesday morning after extreme rainfall struck the area. [Yonhap]
Merchants in Gohyeon-dong, Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, clear muddy water from their shops on Tuesday after extreme rainfall inundated the area. [Yonhap]
Merchants in Gohyeon-dong, Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, clear muddy water from their shops on Tuesday after extreme rainfall inundated the area. [Yonhap]
A firefighter pumps out floodwater from a shop in Okpo-dong, Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, on Tuesday morning after extreme rainfall hit the area. [Yonhap]
A firefighter pumps out floodwater from a shop in Okpo-dong, Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, on Tuesday morning after extreme rainfall hit the area. [Yonhap]
Soldiers from the Army's 39th Infantry Division remove mud and debris from Jangpyeong Elementary School in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, on Tuesday, helping restore school facilities after heavy rains. [Yonhap]
Soldiers from the Army's 39th Infantry Division remove mud and debris from Jangpyeong Elementary School in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, on Tuesday, helping restore school facilities after heavy rains. [Yonhap]
Soldiers from the Army's 39th Infantry Division clear mud and debris from Jangpyeong Elementary School in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, on Tuesday, assisting in the restoration of school facilities after the heavy rains. [Yonhap]
Soldiers from the Army's 39th Infantry Division clear mud and debris from Jangpyeong Elementary School in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, on Tuesday, assisting in the restoration of school facilities after the heavy rains. [Yonhap]
Residents in Okpo-dong, Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, clear mud and waterlogged belongings from flooded shops and homes on Tuesday morning after record rainfall caused extensive damage to the area. [Newsis]
Residents in Okpo-dong, Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, clear mud and waterlogged belongings from flooded shops and homes on Tuesday morning after record rainfall caused extensive damage to the area. [Newsis]
Residents in Okpo-dong, Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, haul out mud and water-damaged belongings from flooded shops and homes on Tuesday morning after record rainfall devastated the area. [Newsis]
Residents in Okpo-dong, Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, haul out mud and water-damaged belongings from flooded shops and homes on Tuesday morning after record rainfall devastated the area. [Newsis]

jun@heraldcorp.com