The government activated “Level One” of its emergency response posture on Friday afternoon after heavy rain advisories were expanded for southern regions. 

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety said the lowest level of the three-tier emergency response posture of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters was activated at 2:30 p.m. on Friday.

The ministry also raised the heavy rain crisis alert level for the country by one notch from “attention” to “caution.”

The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters said weakened ground due to continuous rainfall have caused landslides, rockslides, mudslides as well as collapse of embankments and retaining walls. 

The headquarters ordered related agencies to inspect in advance regions prone to such collapses while restricting access to areas of potential danger, including seashores, streams, valleys and regions prone to landslides.