157mm Water Bomb in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi... 1 Dead in Collapse Accident in Osan

【Financial News Suwon=Jang Chung-sik Reporter】In Pyeongtaek City, Gyeonggi Province, 157.0mm of rain fell, and a heavy rain warning has been issued across Gyeonggi Province, requiring caution. 
In particular, in Osan City, which recorded an hourly rainfall of 41.0mm, there was a collapse accident resulting in one fatality. 
According to Gyeonggi Province on the 17th, the accumulated rainfall from midnight the previous day to 5 a.m. that day was 157mm in Pyeongtaek, 135.5mm in Ansan, 114.5mm in Hwaseong, 109.5mm in Gunpo and Anseong, with an average of 80.2mm in the province.
Currently, a heavy rain warning is in effect for three cities in southern Gyeonggi, including Pyeongtaek, Hwaseong, and Anseong, while a heavy rain advisory is in effect for the remaining 28 cities and counties.
Meanwhile, in Osan, where 41mm of rain poured per hour, there was a human casualty due to the collapse.
On the 16th at around 7:04 p.m., the 10m high retaining wall of the overpass at Gajang Intersection in Osan City, towards Suwon, collapsed, crushing a passenger car passing under the overpass.
Due to this accident, the driver of the vehicle, a man in his 40s, was rescued in a state of cardiac arrest three hours after the accident at around 10 p.m. and was taken to a nearby hospital but died.
The damaged vehicle was trapped under a concrete structure weighing 180 tons, measuring about 40m in length and 10m in height, and was recovered after work involving excavators.
After the accident, vehicle traffic on the road at Gajang Intersection is completely restricted.
Although there were no other human casualties, 58 rain-related firefighting activities, such as safety measures for road obstruction areas and drainage support, were carried out.
The current control status in the province includes 11 roads, 2 underpasses, 23 low-water bridges, 4 stepping stones, 9 riverside parking lots, and 15 riverside areas.
A landslide warning has been issued for the entire area of Anseong City and 13 towns and villages in Pyeongtaek City, with a pre-evacuation advisory issued.
The province activated Emergency Level 2 of the Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters at 1 p.m. on the 16th.
In Emergency Level 2, 29 people in 12 teams cooperate with the city and county Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters to manage situations, such as situation management, emergency recovery of damage to facilities under their jurisdiction, and emergency livelihood support, in preparation for heavy rain.
The province is conducting safety inspections of vulnerable areas and taking measures to prepare for rain damage, such as sending emergency disaster messages.

jjang@fnnews.com Jang Chung-sik Reporter