Five people have died in Seoul after two days of heavy snow

Five people have been reported dead in South Korea after a second day of heavy snow dumped more than 40cm in Gyeonggi Province around Seoul.

Reuters and Yonhap news agency reported that South Korea was blanketed in snow for a second day on Thursday (November 28), with most parts of Gyeonggi Province issued a snow alert. Yongin, about 40 kilometers south of Seoul, saw 47.5 centimeters of snow, Gwanak, Seoul, 40.2 centimeters, and Seongbuk, 27.1 centimeters of snow.

Seoul lifted its blizzard warning for the metropolitan area on Thursday morning. Areas outside the capital, including Wonju and Hoengseong in Gangwon Province, are still on alert for heavy snow.

The first snowfall in Seoul on Wednesday was the heaviest in November since modern meteorological observation began in 1907, with 16.5 centimeters of snow falling. As much as 28.6 centimeters of snow fell on Thursday. Authorities blocked some roads, bringing traffic in Seoul and surrounding areas to a standstill.

Reuters quoted Yonhap news Agency as saying five people had died in the snow as of Thursday. Of those, four died when buildings collapsed under the weight of snow, and one died when a bus skidded on an icy road.

Separately, South Korean police reported that 11 people were injured in a 53-vehicle pileup on a highway in Wonju, a city in central Gangwon province, on Wednesday night.

The snow has also severely disrupted air traffic, with 114 international flights and 28 domestic flights cancelled on Wednesday and Thursday. Incheon Airport experienced the worst delays, with passengers delayed by an average of about two hours, and 31 percent of flights were delayed and 16 percent canceled on Thursday, according to Flightradar24, an aircraft-tracking website.

The snowfall is expected to stop in Seoul, Incheon and northern Gyeonggi Province on Thursday afternoon, and in southern Gyeonggi Province, inland areas and mountainous areas of Gangwon Province overnight, Yonhap reported.