Prosecutors raid 5 companies in probe into deadly underpass flooding

▲ A raid by prosecutors is under way at a construction company in the central South Korean city of Cheongju on Aug. 1, 2023, over possible irregularities that led to the deadly underpass flooding on July 15. (Yonhap)

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Prosecutors raid 5 companies in probe into deadly underpass flooding

CHEONGJU, South Korea, Aug. 1 (Yonhap) -- The prosecution on Tuesday raided five construction and supervision companies in connection with their investigations into a deadly underpass flooding that claimed the lives of 14 people in the central city of Cheongju last month.

Prosecutors and investigators searched two contractors and three supervision companies involved in the construction of an embankment at the Miho River, which burst amid heavy downpours and was pointed out as one of the causes for the underpass flooding on July 15, prosecution officials said.

They seized documents and other data that are possibly related to suspected irregularities in the embankment construction process.

Earlier on July 24, the prosecution raided five regional police and government offices, including the provincial government of North Chungcheong, to which Cheongju belongs, the Cheongju city government and the provincial police agency, to determine possible liability for the poor management of the river embankment and rescue operations for the flood victims.

The Office for Government Policy Coordination, under the Prime Minister's Office, has conducted an inspection to determine the causes behind the tragic flooding and pointed to poor construction of the Miho River embankment as a leading factor in the disaster.

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