Ongoing Search Operation for Missing Woman Swept Away by Rapid River in Busan

◀ Anchor ▶

A search operation to find a woman who went missing after being swept away by a rapid river in Busan has been ongoing for over 12 hours, but the missing person has not been found.

As it continued to rain overnight, it became more difficult to search for missing people, and the fire department is expanding its scope to Suyeong River, where rivers are connected, to search for missing people.

This is reporter Hyeon-ho Hyun.

◀ Report ▶

Fire and rescue workers search various parts of the river while relying on ropes.

Police officers are also lined up to scan the riverside and are doing their best to find missing people.

A report that a woman was swept away by a torrent was reported to 119 around 5:50 pm yesterday (20th).

About 180 firefighters, police, and coast guard rescuers were deployed and searched through the night for over 12 hours, but the missing person has not yet been found.

Originally, there was a walking trail next to the river. After it rains, the trails are completely covered in mud and cannot be seen.

The search was made more difficult as rain continued to pour throughout the night.

[부산소방재난본부 관계자 ]

″At the time of the disappearance, the current was fast, so a safety net was installed downstream… but there has been no progress as of yet.″

The water level in the hot springs in Busan, where the accident occurred, was at a normal level of 50 cm just 30 minutes before the woman was swept away by the torrent.

However, as heavy rain fell at 40mm per hour under a heavy rain advisory, the water level quickly rose to 2m.

Access to the promenade was restricted from 5:30 p.m., but it appears that the woman who was unable to evacuate was swept away by the torrent.

[김정현/목격자]

″When the water first rose, the woman held on to the wall to hold on, so an ambulance and a police car came, but suddenly the water rose so quickly that she held on and was washed away… ″

The Busan Fire and Disaster Headquarters is focusing on searching for missing people by expanding the scope to a 5.3km section from the initial disappearance location to the entrance of Suyeong River, which is connected to Oncheoncheon Stream.

A heavy rain warning was issued in Busan overnight, with 20 mm of rain falling per hour.

32 reports of rain damage, including road flooding, were received by fire authorities, and there were no additional casualties.

This is the local edition of MBC News.

2023-09-20 21:09:20
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