(LEAD) Heavy snow causes car accidents, flight cancellations

Heavy snow fell on the wider Seoul area as well as central and eastern inland regions Wednesday, causing car accidents, road closures and flight cancellations, the weather agency said.

As of 4 p.m., Pyeongchang in the eastern province of Gangwon had received 10 centimeters of snow and 9 cm of snow had fallen at a mountain in the southern resort island of Jeju, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).

Snow began falling early in the morning, accompanied by strong wind, and even thunder and lightning in some regions.

Heavy snow advisories were issued for many parts of the nation, including the capital area and inland and mountainous areas of Gangwon Province. As of 4 p.m. such an advisory had been in place only for mountainous areas on Jeju Island.

The KMA forecast the central Chungcheong provinces, the southwestern Jeolla provinces and Jeju Island are expected to receive heavy snow from Thursday.

Piles of snow froze on roads, causing car accidents across the nation.

As of 6 p.m., the number of snow-related car accidents had reached 26, according to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters.

Eleven vehicles ended up in a rear-end collision on Namhae Expressway bound for the southeastern city of Busan earlier in the morning. Due to the accident, a man in his 50s received hospital treatment after sustaining a mild injury.

Heavy snow caused the cancellation of 14 flights across the country, including four flights on Jeju Island.

The operation of seven passenger ferries linking the frontline island of Baengnyeong and Incheon, west of Seoul, were also suspended.

The weather agency issued cold wave advisories in some areas in Gangwon Province, Seoul and its surrounding Gyeonggi Province.

A total of 208 schools in certain regions decided to take steps to cope with cold waves by adjusting hours of commuting to and from schools or holding remote classes.

(Source : Yonhap News)