Thursday, September 2, 2010

Three killed as Typhoon Kompasu tears through South Korea






Three people were killed and millions of pounds of damaged caused after the strongest tornado in 15 years tore through Seoul.

Powerful gusts ripped over power lines and forced the cancellation of scores of international flights after the tropical storm hit South Korea this morning.

An 80-year-old man died after being hit by a flying roof tile and a 37-year-old businessman was killed on his way to work by a falling branch, the National Emergency Management Agency said.

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Spectacular: The NASA satellite image shows Typhoon Kompasu - the seventh storm to affect the region this season - as it moves northwards

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Powerful: The typhoon, the strongest to hit the Korean peninsula in 15 years, killed three people






A 75-year-old man also died after he was electrocuted while examining a transformer.

More than 60 international flights were cancelled, mostly to and from China, officials at Incheon and Gimpo airports said.

Services on Seoul subway lines and five railway routes were also suspended and schools in the capital were also ordered to delay the start of lessons for two hours.

The storm caused at least £5.4million in damages to the football stadium in Incheon, west of Seoul.

Typhoon Kompasu also left more than 60,000 homes along South Korea's west coast without power.

Kompasu, the Japanese word for 'compass', hit Ganghwa Island around 40 miles west of Seoul this morning.

The Korean peninsula is expected to be rid of the typhoon by tonight, but more than 3 inches of rain may fall on the captial and surrounding areas tomorrow, according to the state-run Korea Meterological Administration.

The typhoon also caused torrential rain and heavy gusts in North Korea, although there were no reports of casualties.

Last month, floods swamped farmland, houses and public buildings in the northwestern city of Sinuiju in North Korea and displaced more than 23,000 people.

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Warnings: People walk past the wreckage of street vending booths in Seoul
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Gusts: A towering wave crashes over the walls in Sinan. Around 60 flights to South Korea had to be cancelled because of the storm
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Damage: Trees lie torn out of the ground after Typhoon Kompasu battered Chuncheon in South Korea






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