The National Fire Agency announced on the 19th that it will issue a national fire mobilization order starting at 1 p.m. to enable a nationwide response to the landslide that occurred in the area of Sancheong County in South Gyeongsang Province.
Accordingly, personnel and equipment from nearby North Chungcheong Province, South Chungcheong Province, Daegu, and North Gyeongsang Province will be mobilized to the landslide area in Sancheong County.
The exact extent of damage, including casualties, is currently being assessed.
Kim Min-jae, head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (acting Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety), emphasized through an urgent directive that "emergency rescue activities should be thoroughly implemented in the landslide-affected areas, such as Sancheong, mobilizing all available personnel and resources for emergency rescue and recovery operations."
He also directed that areas at risk of landslides should be fully controlled, and residents should be proactively evacuated. He further urged attention to the safety of disaster site workers.
The landslide in Sancheong County was first reported at 9:20 a.m. that day. The fire authorities issued a Phase 1 response at 10:20 a.m. that day and subsequently escalated to Phase 2 at 11:25 a.m. before issuing the national fire mobilization order at 1 p.m.