Typhoon Hinnamnor raises huge waves at the beach in Busan, South Korea on September 4, 2022. Hinnamnor is expected to be one of the strongest tropical storms ever to hit the country, joined by strong winds and heavy rain. Photo: VCG

Typhoon Hinnamnor killed two people and left 10 missing on Tuesday, before heading back to sea with few reports of major property damage. 

The typhoon, one of the most powerful to bear down on South Korea in decades, hit the southern island of Jeju overnight before making landfall near the port city of Busan, which was battered by huge waves and heavy rain which damaged beachfront roads and shops.

Early Tuesday in the eastern port city of Pohang, an elderly woman was swept away in flooding and killed, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters said.

Death tolls could climb later in the day, authorities having identified at least 10 people missing as of Tuesday evening, including seven people at a submerged underground parking lot in Pohang.

More than 66,000 households nationwide lost power because of the typhoon.

This is the second major storm to hit the country in a matter of weeks.

As a precaution, authorities closed more than 600 schools nationwide, and local carriers grounded some 250 domestic flights, but service gradually resumed Tuesday as Hinnamnor headed towards Japan.

On Tuesday morning, the typhoon was over the Sea of Japan, known as the East Sea in Korea, 100 kilometers off Tsushima island, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

Japan's weather agency said Tuesday "very strong" typhoon was nearing several remote southern islands, prompting warnings for local residents to seek shelter before it becomes too dangerous.

Bringing gusts of up to 180 kilometers per hour, it was moving northeast at a speed of 45 kilometers per hour and was expected to bring heavy rains to western Japan on Tuesday.

More than 35,000 households were without power in Japan's southwestern Kyushu region, Kyushu Electricity said in a statement.

Some of Japan's bullet trains were suspended due to strong winds and rain, and many local trains also paused service, operator JR Kyushu said.

At least 120 flights departing and landing at Kyushu's airport were cancelled, public broadcaster NHK reported.

AFP