Strong typhoon lashes southern part of Korea

Strong winds and waves from Typhoon Tapah drive two boats ashore in the southern city of Ulsan, Sunday. / Yonhap

By Kim Hyun-bin

Typhoon Tapah swept through the southeastern part of the country Sunday, bringing strong winds and rain that ripped up scores of trees, and forcing hundreds of flights to be cancelled.

According to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA), the typhoon, this year's 17th, packed wind gusts of 126 kilometers per hour and an atmospheric pressure of 970 hectopascals as of 3 p.m..

The storm passed 110 kilometers southeast of Jeju Island and 50 kilometers southeast of the port city of Busan.

The interior and safety ministry raised its alert level to "vigilance" from "attention" Sunday morning due to the severity of the storm.

Parts of Jeju received 668.5 millimeters of rain and Sancheong County in South Gyeongsang Province reported 257.5 mm as of 3 p.m. Sunday, the KMA said.

The weather agency issued typhoon warnings throughout the weekend.

A 72 year old woman was killed when an old two-story house collapsed Saturday, while a large window fell from a building in Busan and shattered on a sidewalk. About 200 households in Busan suffered a power failure Saturday night, after a makeshift installation at a construction site fell on power lines.

The transport ministry said 390 flights were canceled at Jeju International Airport, starting from Asiana Airlines flight departing Jeju International Airport to Gimpo International Airport at 6:30 a.m.

However, Jeju International Airport resumed 95 flights including 81 domestic and 14 international ones after 7 p.m.

According to the government hundreds of flights in nine airports across the country were cancelled due to the typhoon.

Meanwhile, all ferries to and from Incheon, Busan and Jeju Island were halted Sunday.

As the typhoon is estimated to move clear of the country by 3 a.m. Monday, so passengers were advised to check their flights or ferry service providers for possible changes.

As of 4 p.m. seven roads on Jeju Island were flooded as well as 6,000㎡ of farmland, while the strong winds damaged 32 public facilities.
In Busan and Ulsan, one fishing boat, two yachts and two other boats were capsized by the waves.

Over 7,387 households in seven regions around the country were left without power.

South Gyeongsang Province also reported damage, with winds of 30-meters-per-second passing Tongyeong and Geoje Island.

According to fire authorities in the province, 43 cases of strong wind damage had been reported as of 1 p.m., including trees falling on houses and streets as well as signs and construction material flying through the air.

The KMA issued typhoon warnings in Daejeon, Sejong and six cities and counties in South Chungcheong Province as of 3 p.m.

"Typhoon Tapah has been moving upwards, and from today to Monday, Daejeon, Sejong and South Chungcheong region could receive winds of 15 to 30 meters per second, so we advise people to watch out for flying material," the KMA said.

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