A typhoon packing record strength winds slammed into South Korea killing at least 58 people and forcing about 25,000 to flee from their homes, authorities said yesterday. At least 27 people were missing and the death toll was expected to rise, officials said.

"We're still getting damage reports and expect more casualties," an official at the National Disaster Prevention Headquarters told Reuters. Typhoon Maemi, with winds of up to 216 kph, a record for South Korea, tore into southern parts of the peninsula on Friday night, carving a swathe of destruction before heading out to sea yesterday. Maemi means "cicada" in Korean.

The storm brought big cranes crashing down onto roads and docks and ripped ships from their moorings, tossing them against each other. At least 82 vessels sank in huge seas and fishing boats were stacked like driftwood on shore roads. The worst affected area was South Kyeongsang province where at least 15 people drowned and roads were swept away in mud sides.

Up to 453 mm of rain was dumped across some areas. Billboards were sent flying, trees were uprooted and power lines brought down.

Authorities issued flood warnings for areas along the Nakdong river, which flows through the centre and south of the country, as full dams had to open their flood gates. About 25,000 people had to be evacuated from their homes, the disaster office said.

A landslide in central Chung-chong province derailed a Seoul-bound train and 28 passengers were injured, television said. The typhoon forced four power plants to stop operations, cutting electricity to 1.4 million households, as the country celebrated the three-day Chusok (Thanksgiving) festival.

Prime Minister Goh Kun chaired an emergency cabinet meeting to discuss rescue operations. The government promised tax relief for affected individuals, companies and farms. South Korea's Hyundai Heavy Industries Co, the world's largest shipbuilder, said the typhoon had damaged two vessels being built for the oil industry.

The incident involved a 200,000-tonne offshore storage facility being built for Exxon Mobile Corp, and a 37,000-tonne petrochemicals carrier being built by Hyundai Mipo Dockyard for a German company. Typhoon Maemi was yesterday night moving over the Sea of Japan, where it had weakened considerably, the meteorology department said. The country's capital, Seoul, was unaffected. South Korea is often hit by typhoons at this time of year. Last September, Typhoon Rusa killed more than 100 people.