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Bitter winter weather hit East Asia for a second day on Wednesday, causing several deaths and several injuries in Japan and scrambling for flights out of the South Korean resort island of Jeju after delays due to snowstorms.
Heavy snow and record cold temperatures caused widespread disruption across Japan.
South Korea’s Interior and Security Ministry did not immediately report any major damage or injuries from the subzero temperatures and icy conditions that have affected much of the country since Tuesday.
But at least eight roads and 10 sea routes remained closed as of Wednesday evening. About 140 homes in the capital Seoul and nearby areas reported water pressure pumps or damaged pipes as temperatures dropped to -15 C to -20 C inland.
One person died in Oita, southern Japan, after being hit by a falling tree, and two other deaths in northern Niigata prefecture are being investigated for cold weather, officials said.
Two other people were found without vital signs in Okayama, western Japan. Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihiko Isozaki told reporters that the death could be linked to an accident while clearing snow and asked residents not to engage in such activities when there is no one else to help in the event of an emergency.
About 400 homes across the country are without electricity due to damage to power lines caused by fallen trees, the Minister of Economy and Industry said. It said traffic disruptions caused by the snow had also caused delivery delays at stores in western Japan.
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Thousands of people using train services in Kyoto and Shiga prefectures in western Japan were forced to stay in carriages or stations, and 13 were taken to hospital, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said. Vehicles on major roads across the country were stranded and hundreds of flights were cancelled. Kyoto Prefecture reported more than 30 injuries, mostly from falls.
Stranded travelers
Air traffic returned to normal after hundreds of flights in and out of Jeju were shut down on Tuesday due to strong winds and snow, affecting an estimated 40,000 people visiting the resort island for the Lunar New Year holiday.
About 540 flights, including nearly 70 temporarily added by transport authorities in emergency response, were scheduled to fly in and out of Jeju on Wednesday, mostly to take passengers back to the mainland city.
The Korea Airports Corporation said operating hours at Gimpo airport near Seoul were extended until 1 a.m. local time to accommodate the increased number of flights, which are expected to return 70 to 80 percent of passengers stuck in Jeju.
The island has seen more than 19 centimeters of snow since Tuesday morning, while southern mainland cities and towns such as Gwangju and Gangjin reported 10 to 12 centimeters of snow. More than 70 centimeters of snow fell on the small eastern island of Ulleung.
The winter storm is seen moving into the greater Seoul area and nearby areas, where snowfall is expected from Wednesday to Thursday evening, according to the Ministry of Security, which warned of dangerous road conditions.
Officials in Gyeonggi province, which surrounds Seoul, said nearly 7,000 cold weather shelters would be open across the region and several thousand tons of snow-clearing chemicals would be used to improve the safety of icy roads.
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