President Yoon Suk Yeol visited on Tuesday a semi-basement living unit where a family was killed overnight in a flash flood resulting from torrential rains.
Yoon visited the site in the Sillim neighborhood of Gwanak District in Seoul after presiding over emergency government and Cabinet meetings in the morning to discuss response measures to damages caused by the record downpour.
Speaking with local residents, Yoon wondered why the family was not able to evacuate in advance. Neighbors said a member of the family was a 47-year-old woman who had a developmental disability and the water had rushed into the unit instantaneously.
Yoon pointed to problems with river management as he tried to take the stairs down to the semi-basement unit and found that it was still flooded.
According to the police, the deceased included the woman's younger sister and the sister's teenage daughter. All three were found dead at around 12:30 a.m. on Tuesday.
Police and fire officials worked together to drain the house following a report made by a friend of the younger sister, but were unable to get to the family in time. The neighbors had attempted to get the family out through the window but to no avail as the water level rose in mere seconds.