At least 24 people have been killed and 26 others injured in a series of devastating wildfires sweeping across South Korea’s southeastern region, with many of the victims in their 60s or older, according to the Korea Forest Service.
The fires that began in Sancheong County in North Gyeongsang Province last Friday have spread to nearby Uiseong, and were advancing to neighboring Andong, Cheongsong, Yeongyang and Yeongdeok, fueled by strong and dry winds.
Of the dead, two were found in Andong, three were in Cheongsong, five were in Yeongyang and six in Yeongdeok, officials said.
Of the 26 people who were injured, 12 sustained serious injuries.
To battle the flames, the government dispatched 87 helicopters and more than 4,900 personnel, including firefighters, civil servants, and military troops, to affected areas on Wednesday.
In Yeongyang, four of the five who died were found burned to death on a road at around 11:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
The engulfing flames destroyed Goun Temple in Uiseong, an ancient temple built in 681 during the Silla Dynasty (57 BC-AD 935). National treasures stored in the temple had been relocated to other locations.
Thousands of firefighters and dozens of helicopters and vehicles were deployed to fight the blazes.
Since last Friday, the military has deployed some 5,000 service members and 146 helicopters to help combat the wildfires raging in the southeastern region.
The justice ministry said around 500 inmates at a prison in North Gyeongsang Province were transferred to another facility overnight to escape the flames.
The ministry had initially considered transferring some 3,500 inmates from several prisons in the region but reduced the number as some of the fires were put out.
(By Shin Ji-hye and Yonhap)
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