A cold snap sweeping across East Asia has killed at least 85 people in Taiwan and stranded 60,000 tourists in South Korea.
Taiwanese media reported deaths from hypothermia and cardiac disease following a sudden drop in temperature over the weekend.
Heavy snow forced closure of airport on Korean holiday island Jeju, cancelling flights. The spell has also hit Hong Kong, southern China and Japan.
Many of those who died in Taiwan were elderly people living in northern regions, which accounted for 66 of the deaths. Another 16 were confirmed dead in Kaohsiung.
Temperature in Taipei fell to a 44-year low of 4 degree Celcius on Sunday. Many victims had heart trouble and shortness of breath.
“... it’s not the actual temperature but the sudden drop that’s too sudden for people’s circulatory systems,’’ said an official.
Most deaths and illnesses are not caused by hypothermia or extreme cold, but by heart and breathing problems. Frail elderly people are particularly at risk. Cold weather makes heart work harder to keep body warm. It increases heart rate and blood pressure and can cause changes to blood that increase the risk of developing clots leading to attacks and strokes.
A 56-year-old man surnamed Chen was found dead on the street Sunday morning, reported Focus Taiwan, but most victims in the city and its surrounding region, known as New Taipei City, were found indoors.
In South Korea, more than 500 domestic and international flights have been cancelled in Jeju as the island, known for balmy weather and beaches, saw -6C weather. The airport was due to reopen on Monday night.
Thousands of tourists were left stranded over the weekend. Yonhap news agency reported that local officials were scrambling to find transport and accommodation.
In Hong Kong, residents shivered in 3C, the lowest temperature there in nearly 60 years.
Parts of Guangzhou and Shenzhen in southern China have also seen the rare appearance of snow, while the southern Japanese island of Okinawa has seen sleet for the first time ever, report Chinese and Japanese media.
Snowstorms have hit large parts of Japan as well, with more than 600 domestic flights cancelled across the country on Sunday and Monday, reported NHK news.
At least five people have died so far and more than 100 have been injured in Japan.
Temperatures have dropped in some parts of South East Asia as well, including Vietnam and Thailand.
In Bangkok, which rarely sees temperatures below 20C, temperatures dropped to around 16C on Sunday, while Vietnam saw the coldest weather in about two decades over the weekend, with Hanoi experiencing 6C.
