Prosecutors indicted 16 members of the police and fire agency for alleged laxity and document forgery during last year's underpass flooding in the central city of Cheongju that claimed 14 lives.

The Cheongju District Prosecutors' Office on Thursday indicted without pretrial detention 14 police officers and two firefighters, including Chungbuk Provincial Police Commissioner Kim Gyo-tae.

Kim, along with four other senior officers are accused of failing to operate a disaster situation room despite the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters raising the heavy rain alert level to "serious" on July 13, 2023.

They are also suspected of drawing up a false report following the July 15 flooding for submission to the National Police Agency and the National Assembly.

Four officers working at 112 emergency situation rooms for the provincial and city police are accused of causing more fatalities by neglecting to respond to two emergency calls made prior to the overflow and falsely reporting that officers were dispatched to the scene.
 
Two senior officers at the Cheongju West Fire Station, including its chief at the time, will also stand trial for alleged forgery.