South Korea was hit by a nationwide downpour on Sunday as Typhoon Prapiroon was approaching the country’s southwest coast, resulting in floods, canceled flights and damaged farms.
Up to 300 millimeters of rain fell on Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and western portions of Gangwon Province on Sunday. A 74-year-old was reported to be missing since Thursday, while a 73-year-old women got injured due to landslide on Sunday at 8 a.m. The heavy rainfall is expected to continue through Tuesday.
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety sent 36 officials to six cities and 11 provinces on Sunday as a pre-emptive measure against possible landslides caused by heavy rain. The government is considering setting up a disaster center as well.
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Cars are submerged in a street in Boseong-gun, South Jeolla Province on Sunday morning. (Yonhap) |
Multiple cars were submerged in Boseong, South Jeolla Province, slowing traffic. Houses and rice paddies were flooded and railway services stopped on Saturday as heavy rain battered the area. A total of 383 trails in 13 parks were closed to pedestrians along with the Cheonggye Stream in Seoul on Saturday. Eighteen flights between Gimpo and Ulsan were also canceled.
Up to 400 mm of rain is forecast to pour down on Jeju Island and the Jeolla provinces starting Monday, due to the season’s seventh typhoon, Prapiroon, which formed from the southeast side of Okinawa, Japan, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration.
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Firemen are using a water pump to take out water from a garage with submerged cars in an apartment in Boseong-gun, South Jeolla Province on Sunday. (Yonhap) |
Prapiroon is expected to peak when it approaches Korea’s southeast coast on Monday morning. The typhoon is forecast to land at Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, Tuesday morning and exit through the east coast.
Prapiroon is a small typhoon with maximum wind speeds of 97 kilometers per hour, according to the weather agency.
Officials in Namhae, South Gyeongsang Province, held an emergency meeting Sunday after canceling a scheduled inaugural ceremony in order to provide measures for possible damages the typhoon could cause.
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Cheonggyecheon Plaza in Seoul is closed due to flood risk from heavy rain on Sunday. (Yonhap) |
The weather agency warned people to be careful of landslides and possible accidents caused by elevated water and thunder.
Rain is expected to continue throughout the week even after the typhoon passes.
By Chyung Eun-ju (
ejchyung@heraldcorp.com)
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