South Korean officials say three people have been killed in heavy snowfall

Heavy snow blanketed South Korea for a second day in a row on Thursday, causing a total of three deaths and disrupting flights and ferry services, authorities said.

The snow caused three fatalities in Gyeonggi province around the capital Seoul, officials said, including one person who died when a tent-style garage collapsed during snow removal.

Another died when a golf practice net broke amid the wave extreme weather.

The prolonged snowfall led to the cancellation of 156 to flee and disrupted 104 ferry services on 79 routes, the Interior Ministry said.

The second day of snow came after Seoul on Wednesday recorded its heaviest November snowfall since records began more than a century ago, according to the country’s weather bureau. The record snowfall also marked the first snow of the season in the capital.

Up to 40 centimeters of snow accumulated in parts of the capital around 11 a.m. (GMT 0200), the Interior Ministry said, while other areas outside Seoul saw snow piles reaching nearly 45 centimeters.

The second day of snow prompted the city government to deploy 11,000 personnel and 20,000 pieces of equipment for snow-clearing operations in the capital.

Authorities reported 131 temporary power outages, of which 46 had been restored by late Wednesday.

Although the heavy snow advisory was lifted in Seoul, it remained in effect in many southern regions outside the capital, with some areas still seeing snowfall at a rate of about one centimeter per hour, the Korea Meteorological Administration said.

© 2024 AFP