At least 10 people have died in South Korea after a typhoon caused severe flooding. Tens of thousands of people are without electricity.
Seoul/Pohang – Many people were injured and at least ten were killed in the worst typhoon of the year in South Korea. Storm surges and flooding occurred particularly in the coastal areas in the south and south-east of the country. Seven people who were trying to get their cars to safety have been found dead in an underground car park alone in the coastal town of Pohang on the south-eastern coast. Three more fatalities were previously reported. Others have so far been considered missing.
As a result of the flooding, at least one fire broke out in a steel factory in Pohang, according to correspondent reports from the US medium Bloomberg . There was great concern about the safety of offshore chemical plants and, given the 2011 Fukushima disaster, nuclear power plants. As the New York Times reports, it is also thanks to the security measures taken that nothing more happened.
Typhoon “Hinnamnor” in South Korea: Experts expect the destructive power to increase
According to the New York Times , Typhoon “Hinnamnor” is the 8th most severe storm in South Korea. Especially in summer and early autumn, hurricanes are not uncommon on the Korean peninsula. According to a report by the German Press Agency , “Hinnamnor” was the eleventh this year. Experts predict that climate change is unlikely to increase the number of storms, but their destructive power will.
Scientists recently confirmed this in an interview with the online news portal Klimareporter.de . Meteorologist Andreas Friedrich from the German Weather Service reported on simulations that indicate an influence of climate change: “When hurricanes occur, they may become more violent.” Climate researcher Simon Wang from Utah State University justifies the predicted development with warming, for example of the ocean: “We know that the Indian Ocean is warming, and we know that warm ocean water is the first and perhaps the most important ingredient in tropical cyclone formation.”
Heavy typhoon in South Korea: 90,000 households without power
As a result of these developments, precautions against such extreme weather events are increasing, especially in Asia. In the run-up to the typhoon, which hung over South Korea for just a few hours, schools in South Korea had been closed and roads blocked. Hundreds of domestic flights were canceled and many fishing boats were forced to remain in port until the storm passed. According to the government, this is also due to the fact that worse things could be prevented.
Nevertheless, the south and southeast in particular had to struggle with problems from the typhoon for a long time. At times around 90,000 households were without electricity. Numerous roads were destroyed. (ska with dpa)
