Super typhoon Hinnamnor moved out of South Korea

Seoul, Sep 6 (IANS) Super typhoon Hinnamnor moved out of South Korea on Tuesday after over two hours of making landfall in the southern coast, leaving one person missing while thousands others were evacuated, authorities said.

This year's 11th typhoon moved off the southeastern coastal city of Ulsan, 307 km southeast of Seoul, toward the East Sea at 7.10 a.m. after making landfall near the southern city of Geoje at 4.50 a.m., according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).

With an atmospheric pressure of 955 hectopascals at its centre and maximum wind speed of 40 km per second as of 6 a.m. the intensity of Hinnamnor was similar to that of Maemi in 2003, one of the most devastating typhoons to hit South Korea.

Hinnamnor is forecast to move upward to reach waters 100 km northeast of Ulleung Island at noon and 560 km north-northeast of the island at 6 p.m. to further proceed northeast toward Japan's Sapporo at midnight, the KMA said.

The typhoon is expected to weaken as an extratropical cyclone by the time it reaches near Sapporo, it said.

In South Korea, the typhoon left a 25-year-old man missing in Ulsan. The man remains unaccounted for after falling into a stream at 1 a.m. under the influence of alcohol, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters said.

A total of 3,463 people from 2,661 households in landslide- and flood-prone areas in South Gyeongsang and South Jeolla provinces and Busan were evacuated for safety concerns.

Nearly 15,000 people were also advised to evacuate, while some 20,334 homes suffered power outages.

Hinnamnor also left 70 vessels on 50 sea routes grounded and 251 flights at 12 airports nationwide cancelled, while 354 train schedules were suspended or adjusted.

Typhoon warnings were still in place in most parts of the country and sea areas, with rains of up to 20 mm per hour forecast nationwide.

The weather agency advised continued caution as storm surges and high waves were expected in coastal areas.