BUSAN: Hundreds of flights and high-speed trains were cancelled and businesses shuttered in the South Korean port town of Busan after Tropical Storm Khanun made landfall on Thursday (Aug 10), bringing heavy rain and high winds.
The storm, which battered Japan before taking a circuitous route towards the Korean peninsula, made landfall at around 9.20am local time in the south, and is set to travel northwards, bringing heavy rain nationwide, Korea’s meteorological agency said.
More than 10,000 people have been evacuated, with Prime Minister Han Duck-soo urging local governments to “verify whether residents in high-risk areas have failed to evacuate”, and if so, to ensure they do.
Typhoon warnings have been issued nationwide, with downpours of up to 500mm forecast in northeastern coastal areas and 100mm to 200mm in Seoul and its surrounding areas until early Friday.
Busan was hit by strong winds, with pedestrians struggling to walk in gusts blowing as fast as around 145kph. Many stores and cafes were closed.
At least 330 flights were cancelled as of Thursday, and sea routes and railways closed, officials said.
The typhoon had already prompted the evacuation of tens of thousands of scouts from their jamboree campsite in the south of the country earlier this week.