SEOUL: South Korea saw heavy snowfall for a second day on Thursday, canceling dozens of flights, suspending ferry operations and at least four people were reported dead in the extreme cold, although conditions showed signs of easing.
It was the third heaviest winter snowfall in the capital Seoul since 1907. Yonhap The news agency cited city data.
More than 40 centimeters (16 inches) of snow had piled up in parts of Seoul by 8 a.m., forcing the cancellation of more than 140 flights, although weather officials said heavy snowfall in the capital’s metropolitan area was expected by 10 a.m. Thursday. The snow warning was lifted.
One person was killed and two others injured at a golf range after a snow net collapsed late on Wednesday, while one person was killed in a similar collapse of a safety tent at a car park, according to media reports.
Meanwhile, reports indicate that at least two more people were killed in traffic accidents on highways east of the capital. Eleven people were injured in a 53-vehicle pileup on a highway in the central city of Winju in Gangwon Province on Wednesday evening, police said.
Seoul’s main airport, Incheon, was the hardest hit, with passengers experiencing delays of an average of two hours, while 14% of flights were delayed and 15% canceled on Thursday, according to a flight tracking website. Shown by Flightradar24.
About 142 flights were cancelled, officials said, and 99 ferries on 76 routes were suspended as of Thursday, while media also reported delays in train schedules.
Schools in Gyeonggi Province, bordering Seoul, were allowed to close on Thursday if necessary, provincial officials said.
The unusually heavy November snow has been attributed to warmer-than-normal seawater temperatures west of the Korean Peninsula encountering a cold air current.
According to the state broadcaster, neighboring North Korea Korean Central TelevisionSome areas also received more than 10 centimeters (4 inches) of snow between Tuesday and Wednesday.