Incheon rain and wind prompt 230 safety responses, cancel 40 flights
In short
Heavy rain and strong winds in Incheon on October 18 prompted about 230 safety responses by 19:00, Newsis reported, citing fire authorities. One person was reported injured, three people were rescued from a flooded vehicle, and 40 flights were cancelled at Incheon International Airport.
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Strong winds and heavy rain in Incheon on October 18 left one person reported injured and prompted about 230 safety responses between 09:00 and 19:00, Newsis reported, citing the city’s fire headquarters. Most responses concerned structures, road obstructions and fallen trees. Earlier reports had put the count at 78 by 14:10. [ 1 , 3 , 7 ]
Three people were rescued after a vehicle became stranded on a flooded road near Wanjeong intersection. Firefighters also responded to a fallen water tank at 13:23. Newsis reported that a man in his 50s was taken to hospital after complaining of dizziness when tiles from a building’s exterior struck his vehicle at about 13:55. A church spire also fell in the wind and rain; Chosun Ilbo reported no casualties from that incident. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 7 ]
Incheon International Airport reported 40 cancelled flights: 36 cancelled in advance based on weather forecasts and four cancelled on the day. Earlier airport figures also listed 34 delayed flights and nine aircraft that turned back. Ferry operations stopped for 16 vessels on 13 routes, Newsis reported, citing the Incheon operations management centre of the Korea Maritime Transportation Safety Authority. [ 1 , 3 , 7 ]
Authorities restricted 179 access points along seven rivers, Newsis reported. Incheon activated the first emergency level of its disaster response headquarters at noon and put about 582 city and district officials on emergency duty. By 19:00, accumulated rainfall included 57.5 millimetres in Baengnyeong-myeon and 55.5 millimetres in Gyeongseo-dong. Dong-A Ilbo also reported flooded roads in Seoul and the cancellation of the Grand Mint Festival because of the weather. [ 5 , 7 ]
Why it matters
The weather disrupted air and ferry travel and flooded roads. Authorities restricted access to rivers and mobilised about 582 city and district officials for emergency duty.
Key facts
- Fire authorities carried out about 230 safety responses between 09:00 and 19:00. [ 7 ]
- One injury was reported, and three people were rescued from a vehicle on a flooded road. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 7 ]
- Incheon International Airport reported 40 cancelled flights, including 36 cancelled in advance. [ 1 , 3 , 7 ]
- Operations stopped for 16 ferries on 13 routes. [ 3 , 7 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- No open questions in the coverage so far.