At least one person has disappeared and thousands have been evacuated from their homes in the wake of typhoon Hinnamor, possibly one of the most powerful to hit South Korea, officials said today.
Hinnamor touched land near the island of Geoje, southwest of the city of Busan, the second largest in the country, several hours earlier than expected, around 04:50 (20:50 on Monday in Lisbon), the Meteorological Administration said. Korea (KMA).
The storm, with sustained winds in excess of 140 kilometers per hour, returned to sea after passing over the coastal city of Ulsan, 307 kilometers southeast of Seoul, about two hours later.
South Korean authorities indicated that the missing man, a 25-year-old man believed to have fallen into a sewer, was registered in Ulsan.
More than 3,400 people were evacuated due to the possibility of flooding and landslides in Jeolla South (southwest), Gyeongsang South and Busan (southeast) provinces, where more than 20,000 dwellings in these areas are currently without electricity.
The winds and two days of heavy rain caused by the storm affected half a hundred ferry routes and forced the cancellation of 251 flights at 12 South Korean airports.
Land transport was also affected, with 354 rail connections canceled or delayed and several roads and highways across the country partially closed, including the Seoul Olympic Highway, one of the capital’s main thoroughfares along the south bank of the Han River.
KMA predicted that Hinnamnor will continue to move northeastward across the Sea of Japan, passing about 100 kilometers northeast of the South Korean island of Ulleung, to approach, already weaker, the coast of Russia’s eastern province. of Primorye and the Japanese island of Hokkaido (north).
