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SEOUL, South Korea – A powerful typhoon damaged buildings, flooded roads and cut off power to thousands of homes in South Korea on Monday after hitting islands in southern Japan. More than 20 people were injured.
The Korean Meteorological Administration warned of “very heavy rain and very strong winds” when Typhoon Haishen, with maximum winds of 126 kilometers (78) miles per hour, made landfall in the southeastern port city of Ulsan.
The weather agency said the typhoon, the third to hit the peninsula in as many weeks, was weakening and would likely be downgraded to a tropical storm within 24 hours.
Cars struggled to navigate flooded roads in Ulsan and other coastal cities such as Busan, Sokcho and Gangneung. Emergency workers rushed to clear downed trees and damaged road signs, buildings and other structures.
The Interior and Security Ministry said a person in Busan was injured after a car overturned in high winds, but did not immediately provide further reports of casualties.
At least 318 flights in and out of the southern province of Jeju Island and across the mainland were canceled, according to the Korea Airports Corporation. Some bridges and stretches of railways were closed, thousands of fishing boats and other vessels were moved to safety, and more than 1,600 residents in the southern regions of the continent were evacuated due to potential landslides and other concerns.
Workers as of Monday morning had restored power to 11,523 of the 17,620 households that had lost power in the southern areas of the continent and Jeju.
Haishen, which means “god of the sea” in Chinese, crossed Okinawa and other islands in southern Japan over the weekend. Traffic was still paralyzed in some places, bullet trains were suspended, and most domestic flights in and out of airports in southwestern Japan were canceled on Monday.
Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency said at least 20 people, including two critically, were injured. As of Monday morning, around half a million homes were still without power.
Regional officials in Miyazaki said rescuers were searching for four missing people after a landslide struck the mountain village of Shiiba early Monday. A fifth person who was rescued at the scene was seriously injured. NHK public television, citing its own count, reported 37 injuries in the Kyushu region.
The storm was expected by Monday night to hit the northeast region of North Korea, which was hit by Typhoon Maysak last week, inflicting further pain on an economy ravaged by US-led sanctions, the closure of borders due to the coronavirus pandemic and chronic food shortages.
North Korean state media said leader Kim Jong Un visited areas affected by the typhoon, fired a senior regional official for lack of preparedness and promised to send 12,000 workers from Pyongyang to help with recovery efforts. The North said Maysak destroyed more than 1,000 houses and flooded public buildings and farmland. He did not immediately report any casualties caused by Haishen.
Maysak damaged roads and buildings and left at least one person dead in South Korea. Additionally, a cattle freighter sank off the coast of Japan as it passed Maysak. Two of its 43 crew members were rescued and one body was recovered before the search was halted due to Haishen. The ship was carrying 5,800 cows from New Zealand to China. (AP)
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