SEOUL, 6 October (BelTA - Yonhap) - At least seven people were killed in South Korea as Typhoon Chaba struck the country's southern region with strong winds and heavy rains during the week, the safety ministry said Thursday.
Seven fatalities have been reported as of 11 a.m., according to the Ministry of Public Safety and Security, with another three people missing in the southern cities of Busan, Ulsan, as well as on the country's resort island of Jeju.
The death toll includes a firefighter who went missing Wednesday while on a rescue operation in Ulsan, some 410 kilometers southeast of Seoul. The body of the 29-year-old, identified only by his surname Kang, was found at around 11:00 a.m., some 3 km away from where he was swept away by currents.
Nearly 229,000 households in the typhoon-hit region experienced a blackout although almost all were restored by Thursday morning, it said.
The typhoon also damaged crops at some 7,500 hectares of farmland and inundated 508 houses along with another thousand vehicles, according to the ministry.
It said 198 people from 90 households have been evacuated from their homes due to flooding.
Some domestic and international sea routes are still restricted, according to the ministry.
Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn visited the southeastern city of Ulsan on Thursday to check the damaged sites.
The government said it will start gathering reports on damage on public and private facilities and set up a detailed restoration plan by the end of this month.
