/ 19 August 2004

Typhoon Megi hits South Korea

Typhoon Megi ploughed through South Korea’s southern provinces on Thursday, causing flash floods that left eight people dead or missing, disaster officials said on Thursday.

Heavy rain brought by the typhoon left 2 400 people homeless in southern coastal regions, the national anti-disaster agency said.

Flash floods washed away and killed a 65-year-old woman in Soonchang, 260km south of Seoul, and another man in nearby Namwon, it said.

Three people in South Jeolla province were missing, while a landslide injured a farmer in South Gyeongsang province, the agency said.

Megi, which killed nine people in Japan, left the east coast after dumping up to 92mm of rain per hour, weathermen said. — Sapa-AFP