Typhoon Chaba’s SKorean death toll rises to 5

By Alex Jensen

SEOUL (AA) - The death toll from Typhoon Chaba’s rampage across the southern coast of South Korea rose to five Thursday, while a search continued for five more missing people.

Those unaccounted for include a firefighter who had been on a rescue mission in Ulsan, according to the South’s safety ministry.

Busan and Jeju Island were two of the other locations hardest hit by winds that peaked at 56.5 meters (185.3 feet) per second on Wednesday.

One victim was a 90-year-old woman blown from the second floor of her home.

With the typhoon having blown past the peninsula towards Japan, South Korea was counting the cost of widespread damage to businesses, homes and cars.

In addition to powerful gusts, much of the destruction was caused by collapsing buildings, floods and landslides.

Most of the previous day’s power blackouts were over by Thursday morning, while travel routes were operating normally except some sea routes to Japan – and it appeared that the prestigious Busan International Film Festival would be largely unaffected despite some temporary structures being swept over.

But it will take weeks before a clear restoration plan is put into action, as the ministry counts losses to hundreds of homes, thousands of vehicles and 7,500 hectares of farmland.

It was by far the most destructive storm of the year for the South, although North Korea was inundated by typhoon-related flooding early last month.