Thousands hit by outage in S Korea due to typhoon

SOUTH KOREA: Typhoon winds have toppled trees, grounded planes and left thousands of South Korean homes without electricity.

Strong winds and rain from Typhoon Lingling caused power outages in more than 31,000 homes on the southern resort island of Jeju and in southern mainland regions, South Korea’s Ministry of the Interior and Safety said.

Lingling was passing seas 70 miles west of the central mainland city of Seosan as of Saturday afternoon, moving north at 25 miles per hour with winds of up to 80 miles per hour, the Korea Meteorological Association said.

It is expected to affect a broader part of the country as it passes off South Korea’s west coast later on Saturday before making landfall in North Korea in the afternoon. The storm toppled trees and streetlamps, blew signboards off buildings and damaged traffic signs across the mainland and Jeju.

Dozens of flights were grounded at airports nationwide, while 38 people were forced to evacuate from their flooded homes in Gwangju, a city near Seoul.