(LEAD) Gov't refers 6 police officers for investigation over deadly underpass flooding

▲ Police investigators examine an underground roadway in the town of Osong, Cheongju, South Korea, on July 20, 2023, where 14 people were killed following the overflowing of a nearby river triggered by torrential rain on July 15. (Yonhap)

(LEAD) underpass flooding-investigation

(LEAD) Gov't refers 6 police officers for investigation over deadly underpass flooding

(ATTN: UPDATES with more info in last 2 paras)

By Kim Han-joo

SEOUL, July 21 (Yonhap) -- The government referred six police officers to the prosecution Friday for investigation, accusing them of mishandling the deadly flooding of an underpass in the central city of Cheongju last week, which claimed 14 lives.

The Office for Government Policy Coordination, under the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), said that it had detected criminal suspicions involving the officers in an inspection conducted to determine the causes behind the tragic flooding. A total of 14 people have been confirmed killed in the accident.

The office said it has revealed a significant fault in the handling of emergency calls made to 112, the emergency police telephone number.

Furthermore, there was a falsified report submitted to the PMO as to how police were responding after the accident took place, the office also said.

The underground roadway in western Cheongju, located 112 kilometers southeast of Seoul, was flooded Saturday when a nearby river overflowed after an embankment was brought down by rising water levels due to torrential downpours.

Just two days later, the office launched the inspection into what went wrong in the response to the incident.

The Supreme Prosecutors Office also said Friday a special investigation unit will be formed in Cheongju to get to the bottom of the deadly flooding.

"The prosecution will do its utmost to illuminate the cause of the accident through an exhaustive investigation and bring those responsible to justice," the prosecution office said.

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