Heavy snow blankets South Korea, grounding dozens of flights and killing 4

The winter snowfall was the third-heaviest in Seoul, the capital, since records began in 1907, the Yonhap news agency said, citing data from the city.

More than 40cm (16 inches) of snow piled up in parts of Seoul by 8am, forcing the cancellation of more than 140 flights, although weather officials lifted heavy snow warnings in the capital’s metropolitan area by 10am on Thursday.

One person died and two were injured at a golf range after a net overladen with snow collapsed late on Wednesday, while another was killed in the similar collapse of a protective tent at a car park, media said.

Traffic accidents on highways east of the capital killed at least two more, reports showed. Police said 11 people were injured on Wednesday evening in a 53-vehicle pile-up on a highway in the central city of Wonju in Gangwon province.

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Hundreds of flights grounded as record-breaking November snow hits South Korea

Seoul’s main airport, Incheon, was the worst affected, with passengers facing delays of two hours on average, while 14 per cent of flights were delayed and 15 per cent cancelled on Thursday, plane tracking website Flightradar24 showed.