SEOUL, 14 September 2003 — The most powerful typhoon to hit South Korea in a century yesterday tore through the country’s coastal regions, flipping over a cruise ship, twisting massive cranes, hurling shipping containers and leaving at least 58 people dead.
With winds of up to 216 km (135 miles) per hour — the strongest since the country began keeping records nearly 100 years ago — typhoon Maemi hit the southeastern coast Friday night before exiting yesterday as a weak tropical storm, the anti-disaster office said.
By then it had dumped 45 centimeters (17.8 inches) of rain in several places, flooding farmlands, cities and rivers, and triggering landslides, the National Disaster Prevention and Countermeasures Headquarters said. It said more than 24,900 people sought shelter at nearby schools and public facilities.
Maemi — Korean for cicada — is “by far the most powerful typhoon since we began compiling weather records in 1904,” said Yoon Seok-hwan, an official at the Korea Meteorological Administration.
The NDPCH said at least 58 people were killed by drowning, landslides, electrocution or other causes, and that 27 people were missing and feared dead.
Among those killed were two people whose bodies were removed from the basement of a shopping center in Masan city. Another 20 people were feared trapped in the basement and their fate was unknown, said Lee Jong-ryol at the city’s anti-disaster center.
In Busan, the nation’s second-largest city and its main port, 11 container-lifting cranes toppled and were twisted beyond recognition. Steel containers as long as 20 feet (6 meters) were scattered around the port.
At a beach, a floating cruise ship flipped over and lay on its side in shallow water. At least 18 other empty fishing boats capsized. Elsewhere, a construction crane collapsed on a fire engine, injuring five firefighters.
Highway road signs were uprooted and hurled onto vehicles. The few cars that ventured out were hit by strong winds as they moved cautiously with headlights and hazard lights on.
Navy divers searched flooded areas for victims, and soldiers used buckets to scoop out water from underground parking lots. Military helicopters were used to rescue stranded people and transport emergency supplies.
