Wednesday, July 27, 2011

18 killed in Korea landslides

SEOUL, South Korea, July 27 (Bernama) -- The heaviest downpours in a century pounded Seoul and its surrounding areas on Tuesday and Wednesday, triggering multiple landslides, urban traffic chaos, power outages and flooded streets, roads and residential areas, reports Yonhap news agency.

A landslide caused by torrential rain swept away a pension and four residential buildings near Chuncheon, about 85 kilometres east of Seoul, early Wednesday morning, killing 13 people and injuring 26 others, emergency rescue officials said.

In a separate landslide disaster, about 20 houses in a remote village on the southern tip of Seoul were buried under mud swept from a nearby mountain around 9 a.m., claiming the lives of five residents, officials said, adding that one villager went missing.

"I was sleeping on the second floor of the pension when I heard the thundering sound of a landslide. The stairs collapsed, and I was buried under mud," said one college student, who was among seven rescued by firefighters.

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