- Seoul will witness more than 40 cm of snow in various areas by 8 am.
- Local media say winter snowfall is the heaviest since 1907.
- Passengers are facing flight cancellations and suspension of ferry operations.
SEOUL: South Korea faces heavy snowfall for the second day in a row on Thursday, with dozens of flights canceled and ferry flights suspended, and at least four people reported dead in a harsh winter, although conditions showed signs of improving.
The center said that the winter snowfall was the third heaviest snowfall in the capital, Seoul, since 1907. Yonhap News agency citing data from the city.
More than 40 centimeters (16 inches) of snow had accumulated in parts of Seoul by 8 a.m., leading to the cancellation of more than 140 flights, although meteorological officials lifted warnings of heavy snow in the capital area by 10 a.m. on Thursday. .
According to media, one person died and two were injured on a golf course after a snow-covered net collapsed late Wednesday, while another was killed in a similar collapse of a protective tent in a parking lot.
Meanwhile, reports showed that traffic accidents on highways east of the capital resulted in at least two more deaths. Police said that 11 people were injured on Wednesday evening in a 53-vehicle collision on a highway in the city of Wonju in central Gangwon Province.
Seoul’s main Incheon Airport was the worst hit, with passengers facing delays of two hours on average, while 14% of flights were delayed and 15% canceled on Thursday, plane tracking website Flightradar24 showed.
The authorities said that about 142 flights were canceled and the operations of 99 ferries on 76 routes were suspended by Thursday, while the media reported delays in train schedules as well.
Regional authorities said schools in Gyeonggi Province, neighboring Seoul, had been given permission to close on Thursday if necessary.
The unusually heavy snowfall in November is attributed to warmer than normal temperatures in seawater west of the Korean Peninsula facing cold air currents.
Neighboring North Korea, according to state radio Korean Central TelevisionMore than 10 cm (4 inches) of snow also fell in some areas between Tuesday and Wednesday.