Five people died and flights were canceled as Seoul saw heavy snowfall for a second day

At least five people died after heavy snowfall hit South Korea for a second day.

The snowfall was the third-heaviest in the capital Seoul since rainfall records began in 1907, Yonhap news agency reported, citing city data and a record for November.

By Thursday morning, more than 40 cm (16 inches) of snow had fallen in parts of Seoul, forcing the cancellation of more than 140 flights, although meteorological authorities later raised warnings for heavy snowfall in the city’s metropolitan area.

Yonhap said that since Wednesday, at least five people have died due to snowfall in Gyeonggi Province, adjacent to Seoul, four due to a structure collapsing under the weight of snow and one due to a road accident in which a bus skidded on an icy road.

Police said 11 people were injured in a 53-vehicle collision on a highway in the center of Wonju town in Gangwon province on Wednesday evening.

The first snowfall of the season brought both despair and delight to the country.

“It snowed a lot today,” Lee Sook-ja, 73, told Reuters at the Namdaemun market, one of Seoul’s largest. “It’s frosty and chilly, but a cup of hot fish cake soup really warms me up.”

Videos and photos show tourists and locals throwing snowballs and building snowmen as the trees are covered with fresh snow.

However, many homes were left without power, hundreds of domestic and international passengers experienced flight delays and disruptions, and ferry services were suspended.

The Seoul metropolitan government said more than 11,000 workers were mobilized to clear snow from roads using nearly 20,000 pieces of equipment.

Traffic for commuters in Seoul and the surrounding capital region slowed as entry was restricted to some roads where trees had fallen due to the weight of snow.

More than 142 flights were disrupted as severe weather conditions impacted travel.

Seoul’s main airport, Incheon, was hardest hit, with passengers facing delays of about two hours on average, while on Thursday, 31 percent of flights were delayed and 16 percent were canceled, aircraft tracking website Flightradar24 showed.

Authorities said the weather is also forcing the closure of schools – in Gyeonggi Province, about 1,285 schools, including kindergartens, are closed until further notice.

Residents in Chungcheong and Jeolla provinces are warned to expect heavier snowfall on Friday, while parts of Jeolla and Jeju islands will see snow continuing into early Saturday morning.

The unusually heavy November snowfall is attributed to warmer-than-normal sea temperatures west of the Korean Peninsula, which are home to cold air currents.

In neighboring North Korea, more than 10 cm (4 inches) of snow fell in some areas from Tuesday to Wednesday, according to state broadcaster Korea Central Television.

Additional agency reports