Typhoon leaves thousands of South Korean homes powerless

Fishing boats are anchored in port as Typhoon Lingling approaches to Korean peninsular on Jeju Island, South Korea, Friday, Sept. 6, 2019. (Byun Ji-chul/Yonhap via AP)

SEOUL, South Korea  — High winds have toppled trees, grounded planes and left thousands of South Korean homes without electricity as Typhoon Lingling brushed up against the Korean Peninsula.

South Korea’s safety ministry said Saturday that strong winds and rain caused power failures in some 17,000 homes in the southern resort island of Jeju and southern mainland regions.

Storms have also toppled trees and streetlamps and damaged traffic signs in Jeju, caused airports to cancel 89 flights and forced 38 people to evacuate from their flooded homes in a city near capital Seoul.

There were no immediate reports of injuries.

The typhoon is expected to affect a broader part of the country as it passes off South Korea’s west coast later on Saturday before making landfall in North Korea in the evening.