Tree toppled by 36.8m/s strong wind... 3 hikers buried

A Hiker in Their 60s Transported to Hospital in Cardiac Arrest

In Seoraksan, Sokcho-si, Gangwon Province, three hikers were injured after a tree was toppled by strong winds.

According to the police and fire authorities on the 23rd, at around 8:41 a.m., three hikers near Ulsanbawi Rock in Seoraksan were caught under a fallen tree.

An accident occurred near Ulsanbawi Rock in Seoraksan where three hikers were trapped under a fallen tree.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

As a result of the accident, Mr. A, in his 60s, was transported to Sokcho Medical Center in cardiac arrest and is receiving treatment. Mr. B, in his 50s, was also rushed to the hospital with a fractured shoulder. Another man in his 50s, Mr. C, sustained minor injuries and was transported together.

At the time of the accident, the maximum instantaneous wind speed on Seoraksan where they were hiking was 36.8 meters per second. Generally, strong winds exceeding 30 meters per second can uproot trees or topple traffic lights. Around the same time as the accident, a tree was uprooted on a road in Jumunjin-eup, Gangneung, knocking down power lines on utility poles, causing a power outage affecting 649 homes and businesses in the area. Korea Electric Power Corporation restored power at around 9:57 a.m., about 1 hour and 10 minutes after the outage occurred.

Meanwhile, the Korea Meteorological Administration predicted that wind intensity would peak around noon that day.