At least 7 dead, as South Korea’s Seoul deluged by record rain

Heaviest rainfall in 80 years submerges homes and metro system, triggers landslides and knocks out power around the capital

At least seven people have died and six were missing in and around Seoul, the South Korean capital, after torrential rain knocked out power, triggered landslides and flooded homes and the city’s metro system.

The southern part of Seoul was deluged in more than 100mm (3.9 inches) of rain an hour late on Monday, with the rain in some parts of the city reaching 141.5mm (5.7 inches) an hour, according to Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA), Qazet.az reports.

The Yonhap news agency said the downpour was the heaviest in 80 years.

At least five people died in Seoul, while two were killed in nearby Geyonggi province by early Tuesday, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters said.

Three of the victims were people living in a banjiha – cramped basement flats of the kind depicted in Bong Joon-ho’s Oscar-winning Parasite – in Seoul’s Gwanak district.

The Yonhap news agency said the three included a teenager and that the family had reported that they were trapped in their basement home on Monday evening. They were later found dead.