Several killed as Typhoon Mitag lashes South Korea

At least six people have been killed and several others are missing after Typhoon Mitag lashed South Korea with heavy rain and strong winds, authorities said on Thursday.

The storm hit southern parts of the country on Wednesday night, prompting flood warnings and triggering landslides in affected areas.

A woman in her 70s died after she was swept away by strong winds in the southeastern city of Pohang, while another woman was killed after heavy rain caused her house to collapse as she slept, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said.

A similar accident took place in the southeastern county of Yeongdeok, killing one, Yonhap news agency quoted disaster authorities as saying.

Typhoon Mitag lashes South Korea leaving six dead and several others missing https://t.co/ssMbzJ4jqf pic.twitter.com/Qi0Xrpfuw1

— AFP news agency (@AFP) October 3, 2019

On Wednesday, a 76-year-old man was killed after he was swept away by strong currents in a farming village in Seongju, North Gyeongsang province.

A total of six people were killed across the country but the death toll was expected to rise with several people missing.

In the southern port city of Busan – one of the hardest-hit areas – about 600 rescue workers were trying to locate four people believed to be trapped beneath a landslide.

“An enormous amount of sand and earth slid down several hundred metres and instantly buried a house and a restaurant,” said a witness quoted by Yonhap news agency.

Yonhap news agency also reported that over 1,500 people have been evacuated from their houses on the island of Jeju.

Mitag is the 18th typhoon this year and seventh to hit the Korean Peninsula.