Super Typhoon Hinnamnor left at least two people dead and caused widespread flooding and power outages as it passed through South Korea, although the destruction appeared to be less than was forecast.
Hinnamnor hit near the southern city of Geoje at 4:50am and moved off the coast near Ulsan just a few hours later, the Korea Meteorological Administration said.
Projections from the US Joint Typhoon Warning Center show the typhoon moving through the Sea of Japan, and potentially making landfall again in eastern Russia.
Photo: EPA-EFE
At least two people in South Korea were reported killed, while at least eight were missing, Yonhap News Agency reported.
Earlier, the meteorological agency had warned of potential casualties from what was expected to be the most powerful storm ever to hit the country.
Hinnamnor showed signs of weakening yesterday afternoon, packing sustained winds of about 138kph with gusts around 167.372kph, the US warning center said.
However, the impact of the massive storm continued to be felt across South Korea and parts of Japan.
About 3,500 people were evacuated along South Korea’s southern coast, while more than 66,000 homes nationwide suffered power outages, Yonhap reported, adding that Korea Electric Power Corp had restored electricity to more than 18,000 homes in Jeju.
Kyushu Electric Power Co, the utility provider for Japan’s southwestern prefectures in Kyushu, said that more than 30,000 buildings in the region were without power due to the typhoon, while telecommunications providers KDDI Corp and NTT Docomo said service had been disrupted in some parts of the country.
Businesses in South Korea began to return to normal soon after the storm passed. Hyundai Motor Co’s union said the company was set to resume work before noon, while Hyundai Heavy Industries Co and Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co planned to restart in the afternoon. No casualties or damage were reported at the facilities of the automaker and two shipbuilders.
Korean Air Lines Co and Asiana Airlines Inc restarted flights to Jeju Island in the morning, while flights to Busan were scheduled to resume in the afternoon.
Six nuclear reactors on the southeast coast had been running at lower rates ahead of the typhoon. They would operate at a reduced rate until the situation returns to normal, a Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co spokeswoman said.
Oil refiners, chemical operations and the nation’s oldest nuclear power plant had earlier taken precautions amid predictions that the typhoon would hammer the resort island of Jeju and the key industrial city of Ulsan on the country’s southeast coast, disrupting ports and air traffic across the region.
It was South Korea’s second major storm in a matter of weeks after Seoul was hit by the heaviest rains in a century early last month, killing at least 11 people.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol faced criticism for his response to the floods and apologized to the nation for “inconveniences” caused by the storm.
Yoon, who earlier promised that the government would stay on alert to protect the lives and safety of citizens, yesterday said that while Hinnamnor has made its way out to sea, it was too early to express relief, because areas with damage still need assistance.
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