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| Debris is scattered after typhoon Yutu hit the U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Garapan, Saipan, Thursday. / Yonhap |
By Kim Jae-heun
The government decided to dispatch a military transport plane to help bring 1,800 tourists home from the resort island of Saipan after it was battered by a super typhoon.
"The military transport plane will carry Korean tourists from Saipan to Guam, while a rapid response team will supply food, medicine and water. The special plane will arrive in Saipan by Saturday," the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said in a statement, late Friday, adding the decision came after relevant government agencies including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of National Defense agreed to initiate the rescue plan in an emergency meeting.
The government promptly requested permission for airspace and airport landing at Saipan International Airport. The aircraft will transport Korean tourists to nearby Guam in the West Pacific, where the country's flagship carriers will bring them back to Seoul and Busan.
"Because of the maximum occupancy limit of the military plane, it will take time to move all Korean tourists to Guam from Saipan. Once the military plane arrives in Saipan, the plane will move up to 150 Korean tourists to Guam per day. Depending on the situation, the government may send an additional military plane," the transport ministry said, adding only military aircraft can take off and land at the Saipan airport during the daytime.
The military plane is known to have a capacity of 90 people. The ministry says there are limits to carrying 1,800 stranded tourists to Guam within half a day using only one aircraft.
Saipan is 220 kilometers from Guam. It takes 40 minutes to travel the distance by plane.
The Saipan airport will reopen as of Sunday, but the government understands the situation there is worse than what is reported and says it cannot just wait.
Typhoon Yutu struck the West Pacific island with wind speeds reaching 210 kilometers per hour, Thursday, devastating its airport, homes and other important facilities such as hospitals and power grids. Korean tourists there remained stranded.
The Saipan airport closed down immediately.
"We will decide whether to operate an additional flight to Saipan when the airport is operational again," said an official of the country's second-largest flagship carrier Asiana Airlines.
Low-cost carrier Jeju Air has also posted a notice on its official website saying it has canceled all flights to Saipan, but it was still operating service to Guam.
The foreign ministry said Friday no deaths or serious injuries had been reported among Korean tourists or residents there.
"Most of the Korean tourists are said to have stayed in their hotels due to the cancellations of flights. We've prepared an emergency operation team there to help our people. We will do everything we can," a foreign ministry official said.
However, many Korean tourists are complaining about problems in Saipan.
"Many of the Korean tourists visiting Saipan are in families," a Korean tourist told a local media outlet.
"The typhoon has made it difficult to look after our young children. We are having a hard time buying diapers and powdered formula for our baby. Also the typhoon hit our hotel and there are pieces of broken glass everywhere in the room. The hotel was shaking and my children and I hid in a closet in fear. Rainwater was pouring into the room."
According to CNN, Yutu could be considered the strongest typhoon ever to hit Saipan and one of the most powerful typhoons this year.
The typhoon battered Saipan and other small islands for seven hours, destroying houses and trees. One person was killed.
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