Heavy Snow Warnings Issued for Most Areas
Up to 5 cm of Snowfall Per Hour
Vehicle Overturns and Falls on Icy Roads
Disruptions to Public Transportation and Flights
On the afternoon of the 4th, when a heavy snow warning was in effect, citizens were moving while being covered in snow near Gwangju Songjeong Station. Photo by Song Bohyun
On the 4th, with heavy snow warnings issued for most areas in Gwangju and Jeonnam, a series of minor and major accidents on snowy roads have occurred, causing disruptions to public transportation and flights.
Heavy snow is falling at a rate of 1 to 3 cm per hour, especially in 15 cities and counties in Gwangju and Jeonnam where the warning has been issued (Naju, Damyang, Jangseong, Hwasun, Jangheung, Gangjin, Haenam, Wando, Yeongam, Muan, Hampyeong, Yeonggwang, Mokpo, Shinan, Jindo). In some areas, snowfall is reaching around 5 cm per hour.
Snow accumulation has reached 14.6 cm at Sangmudae in Jangseong, 10.3 cm in Gwangsan, Gwangju, 10.2 cm in Mokpo, and 8.5 cm in Wolya, Hampyeong.
By the 6th, the expected snowfall in Gwangju and Jeonnam is 5 to 20 cm, with some areas forecast to receive more than 30 cm.
On the morning of the 4th, when a heavy snow warning was in effect, a citizen was clearing snow in an alley in Ssangchon-dong, Seo-gu, Gwangju. Photo by Yonhap News
Various accidents have occurred across Gwangju and Jeonnam as the regions have become covered in snow.
According to the Gwangju and Jeonnam Fire Headquarters, between the previous day and 5 p.m. on this day, 18 snow-related incident reports were received in Gwangju (2 safety measures, 3 icicle removals, 9 slips and falls, 4 traffic accidents, etc.).
At around 2:14 p.m. in Ijang-dong, Nam-gu, Gwangju, a car carrying three people, including the driver, was involved in a single-vehicle accident inside a tunnel, resulting in one passenger being taken to the hospital with injuries. At 2:06 p.m. on the same day, a woman slipped on an icy road in Songjeong-dong, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju, and was transported to the hospital.
In Jeonnam, there were nine incidents caused by icy roads (4 safety measures, 5 traffic accidents, etc.).
Around 10 a.m. in Yuchi-myeon, Jangheung-gun, a Morning vehicle slipped on an icy road and overturned, and at 3:25 p.m., a panel on a building in Dundeok-dong, Yeosu, was nearly blown off by strong winds, prompting the fire authorities to take safety measures.
On the morning of the 4th, a vehicle is moving slowly on Mujin-daero in Seo-gu, Gwangju. Photo by Yonhap News
Heavy snowfall has also caused disruptions to public transportation in Gwangju and Jeonnam. In Gwangju, 26 buses on 8 out of 102 city bus routes changed or detoured their routes.
In nine cities and counties including Haenam, Jangseong, and Suncheon in Jeonnam, some sections of routes were detoured or changed during the morning hours depending on weather conditions. Six mountain pass sections in Jeonnam, including Nogodan in Gurye, Cheongsugil in Muan, and Yudalsan Ring Road in Mokpo, have been completely closed to vehicle traffic.
Most flights between Gwangju Airport and Yeosu Airport to Jeju, Gimpo, and other destinations have been canceled, and operations of 57 passenger ships on 45 routes to and from island areas in Jeonnam have also been suspended. Some trails in national parks such as Mudeungsan, Wolchulsan, and Jirisan are also partially closed.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
