Rescuers search for missing as typhoon kills 87

SOUTH KOREAN soldiers and rescue workers searched for dozens of missing people late yesterday after the country’s most powerful typhoon on record killed at least 87 and inflicted damage worth nearly €600 million.

Typhoon Maemi, or “cicada” in Korean, tore into southern parts of the peninsula Friday night, packing record winds of up to 134 mph and carving a swathe of destruction before heading out to sea Saturday.

“I’ve lived here for more than 50 years and we never imagined anything like this,” said Kim Sung-tae, a city official in Masan, near the port of Pusan.

The death toll had risen to 87 and 28 people were missing as of yesterday night, the national disaster office said in a statement. The damage bill was estimated at E783.7 billion won ($669.8 million).

“The rescue work will continue through the night, but it seems most casualties have been reported,” said Chung Kwang-yong, an official at the disaster centre.

Rescuers dug eight bodies out of the debris of a commercial building hit by a landslide, Kim said. There had been fears some people were trapped in a karaoke bar, but Kim said no more victims were expected to be found.

Thousands of soldiers and rescue workers were searching for the missing, helping repair roads and power lines and distributing relief supplies. About 70,000 homes have been without electricity for over 40 hours.

Up to 453 mm (18 inches) of rain was dumped across some areas and about 25,000 people had to be evacuated. A small number were still camped out in public buildings yesterday night.

Typhoons often strike South Korea at this time of year. The country’s worst storm, Typhoon Sara, killed 849 people in 1959.

Two people were killed when the remains of the typhoon, downgraded to a tropical depression, passed over Japan. A fisherman was washed away by high waves and a camper was killed by a falling tree.

South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun toured typhoon-hit areas yesterday, and urged government agencies to speed up rescue work, the presidential Blue House said.

The government said it would allocate 1.4 trillion won ($1.20 billion) in disaster relief. A government agency said insurance claims had reached more than 156 billion won by late yesterday afternoon.

The typhoon mauled South Korea’s main port of Pusan, knocking down 1,000-ton cranes. The capital, Seoul was unaffected.

The disaster office said most of the deaths were the result of electrocution, landslides and drowning.