Monday 25 January 2016

50 Dead, Thousands Stranded as Cold Snap Spreads across East Asia

About 50 people have been confirmed dead in Taiwan and at least 60,000 tourists left stranded in South Korea as a result of Cold snap sweeping across East Asia. 
According to Taiwanese media, a rash of deaths from hypothermia and cardiac disease following a sudden drop in temperature over the weekend.
Meanwhile heavy snow forced the closure of the airport on the Korean holiday island of Jeju, cancelling flights.

The cold spell has also hit Hong Kong, southern China and Japan.

Many of those who died in Taiwan were elderly people living in northern regions such as Taipei, Kaohsiung and Taoyuan. The north saw an unusually low temperature of 4C (39F) on Sunday.

Authorities have warned people, especially senior citizens, to keep warm and stay out of the cold.
In South Korea, more than 500 domestic and international flights have been cancelled in Jeju as the island, known for balmy weather and beaches, saw -6C weather. The airport is due to reopen on Monday night.

Thousands of tourists were left stranded over the weekend. Yonhap news agency reported that local officials were scrambling to find transport and accommodation.

In Hong Kong, residents shivered in 3C, the lowest temperature there in nearly 60 years.
Parts of Guangzhou and Shenzhen in southern China have also seen the rare appearance of snow, while the southern Japanese island of Okinawa has seen sleet for the first time ever, report Chinese and Japanese media.



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