CatoCooper13
New Member
- Joined
- Jun 18, 2003
- Messages
- 6,441
- Reaction score
- 4
AP - The most powerful typhoon to hit South Korea in a century tore through the country's coastal regions, flipping over a cruise ship, twisting massive cranes, hurling shipping containers and leaving at least 62 people dead, officials said.
With winds of up to 216kph - the strongest since the country began keeping records nearly 100 years ago - typhoon Maemi hit the south-eastern coast before exiting as a weak tropical storm, the anti-disaster office said.
By then it had dumped 45cm of rain in several places, flooding farmlands, cities and rivers, and triggering landslides, the National Disaster Prevention and Countermeasures Headquarters said.
It said more than 24,900 people sought shelter at nearby schools and public facilities.
Maemi - Korean for cicada - is "by far the most powerful typhoon since we began compiling weather records in 1904," said Yoon Seok-hwan, an official at the Korea Meteorological Administration.
"Maemi's wind speed was the fastest ever," he said.
The NDPCH said at least 62 people were killed by drowning, landslides, electrocution or other causes, and that 25 people were missing and feared dead.
Among those killed were two people whose bodies were removed from the basement of a shopping centre in Masan city. Another 20 people were feared trapped in the basement and their fate was unknown, said Lee Jong-ryol at the city's anti-disaster centre.
In Busan, the nation's second-largest city and its main port, 11 container-lifting cranes toppled and were twisted beyond recognition.
Steel containers as long as 20feet were scattered around the port.
At a beach, a floating cruise ship hotel flipped over and lay on its side in shallow water. At least 18 other empty fishing boats capsized. Elsewhere, a construction crane collapsed on a fire engine, injuring five firefighters.
Highway road signs were uprooted and hurled onto vehicles. The few cars that ventured out were buffeted by strong winds as they moved cautiously with headlights and hazard lights on.
Navy divers searched flooded areas for victims, and soldiers used buckets to scoop out water from underground parking lots. Military helicopters were used to rescue stranded people and transport emergency supplies.
Five of the nation's 18 nuclear power plants were closed because their main current transformers or power lines were damaged by the typhoon, the anti-disaster headquarters said. No radiation leakage was reported, the NDPCH said.
About 20 major factories in Ulsan and Onsan on the south-east coast, including two major oil refineries, were forced to temporarily halt operations, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy said.
Prime Minister Goh Kun convened a meeting to plan for the clean-up. Chyung Dai-chul, chairman of the ruling Millennium Democratic Party, said he will consult with the government to draft a supplemental budget to aid flood-hit areas.
The typhoon caused a landslide that derailed three cars of the Saemaeul Express train as it travelled from Seoul to the southern city of Andong. One person was hospitalised while 27 others were treated for minor injuries and released.
The NDPCH said the typhoon initially caused blackouts at 1.4 million households, but power was restored to 1.2 million homes. It said 8,510 hectares of farmland and many roads, including some highways, were flooded.
The power outage partially paralysed fixed-line and cellular phone networks, with electricity cut off or disrupted at the country's three mobile phone operators and the dominant telephone company, KT.
Thousands of people who visited their hometowns on the southern islands for the annual thanksgiving Chuseok holiday since Wednesday were stranded as high swells kept ferries from operating.
South Korea is usually hit by several typhoons each summer and early fall. In September last year, Typhoon Rusa left at least 119 dead.
Until Maemi, the most powerful typhoon in South Korea was Prapiroon in 2000, which carried wind speeds of up to 210kph. The most devastating typhoon ever to hit South Korea was Sara in 1959, which killed 849 people.
©AAP 2003
With winds of up to 216kph - the strongest since the country began keeping records nearly 100 years ago - typhoon Maemi hit the south-eastern coast before exiting as a weak tropical storm, the anti-disaster office said.
By then it had dumped 45cm of rain in several places, flooding farmlands, cities and rivers, and triggering landslides, the National Disaster Prevention and Countermeasures Headquarters said.
It said more than 24,900 people sought shelter at nearby schools and public facilities.
Maemi - Korean for cicada - is "by far the most powerful typhoon since we began compiling weather records in 1904," said Yoon Seok-hwan, an official at the Korea Meteorological Administration.
"Maemi's wind speed was the fastest ever," he said.
The NDPCH said at least 62 people were killed by drowning, landslides, electrocution or other causes, and that 25 people were missing and feared dead.
Among those killed were two people whose bodies were removed from the basement of a shopping centre in Masan city. Another 20 people were feared trapped in the basement and their fate was unknown, said Lee Jong-ryol at the city's anti-disaster centre.
In Busan, the nation's second-largest city and its main port, 11 container-lifting cranes toppled and were twisted beyond recognition.
Steel containers as long as 20feet were scattered around the port.
At a beach, a floating cruise ship hotel flipped over and lay on its side in shallow water. At least 18 other empty fishing boats capsized. Elsewhere, a construction crane collapsed on a fire engine, injuring five firefighters.
Highway road signs were uprooted and hurled onto vehicles. The few cars that ventured out were buffeted by strong winds as they moved cautiously with headlights and hazard lights on.
Navy divers searched flooded areas for victims, and soldiers used buckets to scoop out water from underground parking lots. Military helicopters were used to rescue stranded people and transport emergency supplies.
Five of the nation's 18 nuclear power plants were closed because their main current transformers or power lines were damaged by the typhoon, the anti-disaster headquarters said. No radiation leakage was reported, the NDPCH said.
About 20 major factories in Ulsan and Onsan on the south-east coast, including two major oil refineries, were forced to temporarily halt operations, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy said.
Prime Minister Goh Kun convened a meeting to plan for the clean-up. Chyung Dai-chul, chairman of the ruling Millennium Democratic Party, said he will consult with the government to draft a supplemental budget to aid flood-hit areas.
The typhoon caused a landslide that derailed three cars of the Saemaeul Express train as it travelled from Seoul to the southern city of Andong. One person was hospitalised while 27 others were treated for minor injuries and released.
The NDPCH said the typhoon initially caused blackouts at 1.4 million households, but power was restored to 1.2 million homes. It said 8,510 hectares of farmland and many roads, including some highways, were flooded.
The power outage partially paralysed fixed-line and cellular phone networks, with electricity cut off or disrupted at the country's three mobile phone operators and the dominant telephone company, KT.
Thousands of people who visited their hometowns on the southern islands for the annual thanksgiving Chuseok holiday since Wednesday were stranded as high swells kept ferries from operating.
South Korea is usually hit by several typhoons each summer and early fall. In September last year, Typhoon Rusa left at least 119 dead.
Until Maemi, the most powerful typhoon in South Korea was Prapiroon in 2000, which carried wind speeds of up to 210kph. The most devastating typhoon ever to hit South Korea was Sara in 1959, which killed 849 people.
©AAP 2003