Powerful storm Typhoon Haishen headed for South Korea after battering Japan’s southern islands. The storm appeared to have passed through Japan without any major damage or casualties. The storm travelled at a speed of 144 kilometres per hour and then headed towards South Korea’s largest city Busan, the South Korean weather agency said.
The storm has already managed to damage buildings and flood roads in South Korea and injured 20 people. The southeastern port city of Ulsan faced landfall. The storm is expected to be downgraded to a tropical storm in 24 hours.
1,640 South Koreans have been evacuated out of the storm's path, South Korea's Ministry of the Interior and Safety said. Entries to national parks and some national train services have been suspended, while 23,500 households remain without electricity due to the strong winds brought on by the storm in the eastern North Gyeongsang province.
Emergency workers have been working to clear toppled trees, damaged traffic lights and buildings in coastal cities such as Busan, Sokcho and Gangneung. 318 flights in and out of the southern island province of Jeju and across the mainland were cancelled; some bridges and railroad sections were shut down, while thousands of fishing boats and other vessels were moved to safety.
In Japan, around 44,000 homes in southwestern Kyushu region remained without power as the storm passed through. 32 people sustained injuries, including four people at an evacuation centre after glass windows were blown in.
Haishen is also expected to draw near North Korea's port city of Chongjin late Monday and might affect the vulnerable agricultural sector in the North that gets affected during summer storms.