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Typhoon lashes S. Korea, kills 42

A ship that has been converted into a hotel lies on its side after typhoon Maemi yesterday pounded the port city of Pusan, about 450km southeast of Seoul. PHOTO: REUTERS

A powerful typhoon hit southern areas of South Korea overnight, killing at least 42 people and forcing thousands to flee, authorities said on yesterday. Some reports put the death toll at more than 100.

Typhoon Maemi ("cicada" in Korean), packing winds of up to 216kph -- a record for South Korea -- whipped across eastern and southern parts of the peninsula, leaving a swathe of destruction before turning back to sea early yesterday.

A government statement said the death toll yesterday afternoon had risen to 42 with 24 people missing. YTN television put the toll at 103.

YTN said rescue workers were trying to reach 10 people trapped in the basement of a collapsed shopping center in the southern city of Masan.

Authorities issued flood warnings for towns and cities along the Nakdong river, which flows through the center and south of the country, as dams opened their flood gates after the area was hit by up to 453mm of rain. About 2,000 people had to be evacuated from their homes.

The typhoon forced four power plants to stop operations, cutting power to 1.4 million households, as the country celebrated the three-day Chusok (Thanksgiving) festival.

"Damage and losses are expected to increase further, as more reports are registered with the center," an official at the National Disaster Prevention Headquarters said.

Prime Minister Goh Kun chaired an emergency cabinet meeting to discuss rescue measures such as declaring a disaster zone and providing financial support.

The typhoon, which sank 18 vessels and broke 13 container cranes at ports, has caused seven billion won (US$6 million) worth of damage so far, according to official estimates.

The worst affected area was South Kyeongsang province where at least 15 people drowned and roads were swept away.

South Korea's Hyundai Heavy Industries Co, the world's largest shipbuilder, said the typhoon had damaged two vessels being built for the oil industry.

The incident involved a 200,000-tonne offshore storage facility being built for Exxon Mobile Corp, and a 37,000-tonne petrochemicals carrier being built by Hyundai Mipo Dockyard for a German company.

In central Chungchong province, a landslide caused a Seoul-bound Saemaeul Express train to derail, injuring 28 people, local television said.

Typhoon Maemi later moved out over the Sea of Japan, where it weakened considerably, the meteorology department said. The country's capital city, Seoul in the northwest of the country, was unaffected by the storm.

South Korea is often hit by typhoons at this time of year. Last September, Typhoon Rusa killed more than 100 people.
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