(3rd LD) S. Korea working to recover from Typhoon Tapah damage

National 19:21 September 23, 2019

(ATTN: RECASTS lead; UPDATES throughout; CHANGES photo)

SEOUL, Sept. 23 (Yonhap) -- South Korea is working Monday to recover from the impact of Typhoon Tapah, which caused dozens of injuries and the cancellation of hundreds of flights.

Thirty four people, including three police and fire officials, were injured when this year's 17th storm hit the country's southern regions over the weekend, according to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters.

Three people were reported to have died from storm-related accidents but were excluded from the official figures as their deaths were not directly linked to Typhoon Tapah.

Officials work to repair damage caused by Typhoon Tapah at a residential complex in the country's southeastern port city of Busan on Sept. 23, 2019. (Yonhap)

The greatest damage was seen in the country's southern regions, with around 60 roads flooded in Jeju and Ulsan. The combined number of broken traffic lights, utility poles and road signs was tallied at 82, while 1,119 street trees were damaged.

Nearly 1,733 cases of damage were reported at public and private facilities.

The agency said that recovery work is underway across the country, with a total of 11,847 fire officials currently pumping water and taking safety measures at affected areas.

All flight routes are now back in operation, and power has been restored to 27,787 households that experienced blackouts.

This photo provided by the provincial office of North Jeolla Province shows a farm warehouse damaged by Typhoon Tapah on Sept. 22, 2019. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE)(Yonhap)

However, the government is still regulating some areas for safety. The operations of 16 passenger ships to Ulleungdo and Dokdo are still suspended, and trekking courses at national parks have been partially closed.

The weather agency said Typhoon Tapah had weakened to an extratropical cyclone as it passed seas 270 kilometers northeast of the country's easternmost islets of Dokdo at 9 a.m.

The interior and safety ministry issued a "vigilance" weather alert Saturday as strong winds and torrential rain were expected to affect the southern part of the country.

A roof of a house, damaged by Typhoon Tapah, sits on a street of the southern port city of Pohang on Sept. 23, 2019. (Yonhap)

Due to the strong winds, 248 flights operating at 11 airports and services on 100 ferry routes across the country were canceled.

Six of this year's 17 typhoons have affected the Korean Peninsula. South Korea was most frequently affected by tropical storms in 1959, when seven typhoons made landfall on or approached the peninsula.

mlee@yna.co.kr
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Keywords

#Typhoon Tapah #recovery