At least 47 people die as South Korea hit by powerful typhoon

SOLDIERS and anti-disaster officials in South Korea yesterday began clearing up after the most powerful typhoon to hit the country in 40 years left at least 47 people dead and 33 missing in flash floods and landslides.

The government’s National Disaster Prevention and Countermeasures Headquarters was trying to confirm reports another 47 people were swept away by floodwaters or buried in landslides caused by Typhoon Rusa.

“Reports of casualties are coming in from everywhere. Considering past typhoon damages, we believe the death toll would hover over 100,” said an official at anti-disaster headquarters.

Rusa, the Malaysian word for deer, was the most powerful typhoon to hit the Korean peninsula since Sarah in 1959, which left over 840 people dead or missing. In 1987, Typhoon Thelma left over 350 people dead or missing.

Local media reported up to 132 people dead or missing from Rusa, and said the death toll was expected to rise further. KBS TV said 83 people were killed and 49 others were missing.

Rusa has dumped up to 36 inches of rain over the weekend in eastern and southern South Korea. It left the peninsula last night moving across the east coast without causing further damage.

Wind gusts of up to 127mph had ripped up trees and knocked down 7,800 electricity poles, causing a blackout for 1.16 million households. Some 240,000 homes still had no power yesterday, and 140,000 homes remained without telephone service.

Parts of a field hockey stadium and other facilities built for the this month’s Asian Games were wrecked. The games, Asia’s Olympics, are to be held in the southern coastal city of Busan, South Korea’s second-largest city.

More than 17,000 houses and buildings in low-lying areas were submerged, forcing at least 27,000 residents to take shelter at public buildings and schools. Floods inundated more than 12,000 acres of farm land.

President Kim Dae-jung convened an emergency cabinet meeting today and ordered the government and military to mobilise all possible personnel and equipment for rescue and repair operations.

With rains subsiding, anti-disaster officials began cleaning roads and railways that were cut off by floods and landslides. Parts of three rail lines and three roads remained closed yesterday.

Tens of thousand of flood victims, who had been forced to evacuate to public buildings and schools, began to clean their homes.