Seven people were injured when an awning at a South Korean market collapsed Wednesday under the weight of record snowfall, the local fire brigade said.

Nine people were pulled from under the wreckage, with seven treated in hospital, a spokesman for the fire and rescue service in the northeastern coastal city of Samcheok told AFP.

Contrary to initial reports, no deaths have been reported but a search is continuing for people possibly still buried under snow, he said.

The accident happened at a traditional market in the city, which experienced a 174 centimetres (70 inches) of snow over four days ending Monday.

Other parts of Gangwon province have also been hit by the heaviest snowfalls since records began a century ago.

Homes in remote villages have been cut off, farms damaged, hundreds of schools temporarily closed and flights cancelled. Nearly 10,000 soldiers have been mobilised to clear roads.

Provincial officials quoted by Yonhap put the cost of property damage at about 4.8 billion won ($4.3 million) as of Tuesday.

Heavy snow also battered the southeastern industrial city of Pohang and nearby towns.

The government is expected to designate Gangwon a "special disaster zone" next week, a move that would ease administrative and financial support for recovery efforts, presidential officials said.

earlier related report

Thousands in S. Korea help clear record snow
Seoul (AFP) Feb 14, 2011 –

South Korea mobilised thousands of government workers and soldiers Monday to clear a record snowfall that hit the country's northeastern province of Gangwon.

Weathermen said up to 100 centimetres (39 inches) of snow fell in some mountain areas in the northeastern port of Samcheok Friday and Saturday, the heaviest since records began in 1911.

Gangneung city, near the potential winter Olympic venue of Pyeongchang, received 77.7 centimetres on Friday alone.

An International Olympic Committee inspection team was to arrive Monday in Pyeongchang to assess its suitability for the 2018 event.

Snow stopped falling Sunday but the region is forecast to receive up to 50 centimetres late Monday, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration.

The defence ministry said 9,800 soldiers were deployed Monday for snow-clearing, as military helicopters carried food to isolated villages.

The snowstorm left hundreds of cars stranded and damaged farmland.

About 4.8 billion won ($4.3 million) worth of property damage was reported, Gangwon provincial authorities said, adding the figure was expected to rise sharply.

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