One dead, four missing as heavy rainfall prompts full evacuations in Sancheong County

Sancheong County, South Gyeongsang, ordered a complete evacuation due to severe rainfall and landslide risks, with one dead and four people missing. Rainfall exceeded 632 millimeters (24.8 inches), prompting additional evacuation orders.

An area near a farm in Sancheong County, South Gyeongsang, is buried under mud and debris following heavy downpours on July 19. [GYEONGSANGNAM-DO FIRE DEPARTMENT]

All residents of Sancheong County in South Gyeongsang were ordered to evacuate on Saturday as heavy rainfall continued to batter the region, prompting fears of landslides and flooding.

One person was found dead and four people were reported missing in the county, authorities said.

According to the Gyeongsangnam-do Fire Department and local governments, Sancheong County issued a countywide evacuation order at 1:50 p.m. Saturday. As of June, the county has a population of approximately 33,000.

Sancheong has been pounded by 632 millimeters (24.8 inches) of rain over the past four days, including 283 millimeters that fell on Saturday alone. The county had already issued evacuation orders earlier in the day for residents near the Mundae Bridge in Sinan-myeon after a nearby embankment collapsed, raising fears of flooding. Additional evacuation orders were issued for areas near Buri Reservoir in Sancheong-eup and Singi Reservoir in Chahwang-myeon due to high risks of overflow.

Fire authorities raised the emergency response level from Level 1 to Level 2 at 11:25 a.m. Saturday, mobilizing 51 to 80 firefighting equipment units from 8 to 14 fire stations.

“With evacuation orders issued for all residents of Sancheong County, we are concentrating our resources on this area,” a Gyeongsangnam-do Fire Department official said. “The exact extent of damage and number of casualties remains unclear at this time.”

An area near a farm in Sancheong County, South Gyeongsang, is buried under mud and debris following heavy downpours on July 19. [GYEONGSANGNAM-DO FIRE DEPARTMENT]

An image of a village in Hapcheon County, South Gyeongsang, flooded on July 19 due to heavy downpours [HAPCHEON COUNTY]

In Hapcheon County, South Gyeongsang, four river streams — Sindeung Stream in Sindeung-myeon, Gahoe Stream in Gahoe-myeon, Angum Stream in Daeyang-myeon, and a stream in Boncheon-ri, Yulgok-myeon — overflowed as of Saturday morning. As of 12:20 p.m., rainfall in Hapcheon was recorded at 78.6 millimeters per hour.

Major roads in Hapcheon-eup, the county’s central area, were submerged as drainage systems reached their capacity, leading to evacuation orders for nearby residents.

“An evacuation order has not been issued for the entire county, but as parts of Hapcheon-eup and other city areas have been flooded, evacuation orders are being issued for nearby residents,” a county official said.

Emergency shelters were opened in gymnasiums of local schools, including Hapcheon Elementary Scholl and Hapcheon Middle School. Hapcheon County has a population of just over 10,000.

In Jinju, South Gyeongsang, an emergency disaster alert was sent out at 11:48 a.m., warning residents of Myeongseok-myeon to evacuate due to concerns of flooding after a local stream overflowed following heavy downpours.

“The evacuation order was issued following a request from the Myeongseok-myeon chief and residents are currently evacuating to nearby community centers,” a Jinju city official said.

As of Saturday afternoon, heavy rain warnings remained in effect across much of South Gyeongsang, including Yangsan, Changwon, Gimhae, Miryang, Uiryeong County, Haman County, Changnyeong County, Jinju, Hadong County, Sancheong, Hamyang, Geochang County and Hapcheon. Since Wednesday, the province has been drenched with record rainfall, with Haman receiving 532.5 millimeters, Hapcheon 502 millimeters, Hadong 349 millimeters and Changnyeong 350 millimeters — averaging over 255 millimeters across 18 cities and counties in just four days.

The Korea Meteorological Administration forecast that extremely heavy rain, accompanied by gusty winds, thunder and lightning, would continue through Saturday afternoon in southern Korea and the Chungcheong area, with rainfall rates of 30 to 80 millimeters per hour expected.

Updated, July 19, 2025: Details on casualties have been updated.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.

BY WE SUNG-WOOK, LEE EUN-JI, KIM MIN-JU, AN DAE-HUN [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]