S. Korea suffers power outages amid hot weather

KOREA OUTAGES A candle is set up in a local supermarket during power outages in Seoul, South Korea, on Thursday, Sept. 15, 2011. South Korea is suffering power outages across the country after being hit by an unexpected heat wave. AP Photo/Lee Ji-eun, Yonhap

SEOUL, South Korea—An unseasonable heat wave caused power outages around South Korea on Thursday, trapping hundreds of people in elevators, shutting down traffic lights and stopping factory operations, officials and news reports said.

The outages were reported in Seoul and other major cities and affected at least 300,000 homes across the country, local media reported. The Economy Ministry said the outages occurred after the state-run power company failed to meet demand that was 3.2 million kilowatts higher than expected.

Thursday’s temperature of 88 degrees Fahrenheit (31 degrees Celsius) in Seoul was the highest in nearly two weeks.

The ministry said it was still assessing damage from the outages. Lee In-sun, an official at the National Emergency Management Agency, said nearly 1,000 cases of people being trapped in elevators were reported. No injuries or deaths were reported from the outages, he said.

Broadcaster YTN said cellular phones stopped working and traffic lights went out in some areas of the country. It said some factories also stopped work because they lost electricity. Major companies like Samsung Electronics and POSCO were not affected, it said.

The state-run Korea Power Exchange, which coordinates power supplies, said in a statement that officials were working to restore electricity. It said some power facilities were being repaired when the demand for power peaked.