South Korean man drowns in flood after telling wife: ‘car being swept away’

A South Korean man was believed to have drowned in his submerged car on Thursday, after he told his wife on the phone that their vehicle was being swept away by treacherous floods caused by record rainfall.

Rescue personnel discovered the victim, in his 50s, in the South Chungcheong province of Seosan at 6.15am local time. He was later declared dead at a nearby medical centre, the Korea Herald reported.

Authorities also responded to other reports of submerged cars in the area, rescuing three people from one vehicle shortly before the dead man was found.

The victim reportedly called his wife and told her: “The car is being swept away.”

The province had recorded up to 114.9mm of rain per hour between Wednesday and Thursday, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration, which said the mark was a “once-in-a-century” record for the month of July.

In the same month last year, parts of the country were also lashed by intense rainfall, which authorities at the time said occurred only “about every 200 years” across three areas – Geumsan in South Chungcheong, Chupungnyeong in North Chungcheong and Gunsan in North Jeolla.