Typhoon Kills 53 in S. Korea; Scores Missing

Rescue workers hunted for victims today after Typhoon Thelma unleashed floods, mud slides and stormy seas that killed 53 people and left at least 81 missing and feared dead along the southern coast.

The Home Ministry, which released the casualty figures, said the toll was expected to rise. About 110,000 rescue workers, including thousands of military reservists, were mobilized to search for survivors and to repair roads, waterways and buildings, officials said.

The typhoon, packing winds of 80 m.p.h., sent sheets of heavy rain over South Korea overnight and early today, causing rivers to burst their banks and flood villages. Tons of dirt and rocks cascaded onto towns, destroying hundreds of homes and other buildings. Many victims were feared trapped in the debris.

Some of the worst damage was in and around the southern port of Pusan, the country’s second-largest city. Local officials said up to 16 people were killed, including two or three who died after being hit by heavy objects propelled by the strong wind.

Local officials said the damage was being cleaned up by work crews and conditions were returning to normal in the port.

Nationwide, at least 1,300 homes were destroyed or badly damaged and 7,300 people were left homeless, officials said. The homeless sought shelter in schools and government buildings.

Rescue crews dug through the debris of smashed houses, looking for survivors and bodies as neighbors and other residents helped.

Chong Han Yong, 22, survived a landslide that demolished his home in Kwangju. He said he was swamped in mud and rocks when an embankment fell on the house.

“I fainted for a while, but regained my consciousness and managed to escape from the mud,” he said. “When I escaped . . . my brother was (still) alive. I cried for help . . . but there was no one nearby.”