Record snowfall hits Seoul, grounds hundreds of flights and knocks out power
The biggest November snowfall since records started being kept in 1907.
South Korea's capital city was blanketed Wednesday by the heaviest snowfall on record for Seoul in November, with bad weather snarling traffic, knocking out power and grounding hundreds of flights as authorities braced for more snow in coming days.
At least two people were reported killed in traffic accidents on highways east of the city, while falling debris from buildings and construction sites due to strong winds injured some pedestrians in Seoul, media reports said.
Cooler air moving in from the northwest turned rain into snow overnight, leaving 18 centimetres on the ground by 3 p.m., marking the biggest accumulation in November since records started being kept in 1907, the weather agency said.
The Interior Ministry upgraded its disaster response, saying up to five centimetres of snow per hour was forecast through Thursday morning. It warned the wet snow had a high concentration of moisture, adding to the risk of damage to facilities and property.
More than 200 flights, most of them domestic, were cancelled or delayed as airports across the country experienced severe weather conditions, which also included strong winds. At least 70 ferries serving islands were suspended.
Thousands of households were left without power when electricity lines were damaged by falling trees and other snow-related, news reports said.
