Deadly wildfires kill at least 24 in South Korea

SEOUL – At least 24 people have been killed and 19 others injured

in a series of devastating wildfires

sweeping across South Korea’s south-eastern region, with most 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

on March 21 have spread to nearby Uiseong county, and were advancing to neighbouring Andong, Cheongsong, Yeongyang and Yeongdeok, fuelled by strong and dry winds.

Of the victims, two were found in Andong, three were in Cheongsong, five were in Yeongyang and six in Yeongdeok, officials said.

Of the 19 people who were injured, two had 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 March 25.

In Yeongyang, four of the five victims were found burned to death on a road at around 11pm on March 24.

The engulfing flames destroyed Goun Temple in Uiseong, an ancient temple built in 681 during the Silla Dynasty. National treasures stored in the temple had been relocated elsewhere.

Thousands of firefighters and dozens of helicopters and vehicles were deployed to fight the blazes.

Since March 21, the military has deployed some 5,000 service members and 146 helicopters to help combat the wildfires raging in the south-eastern 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. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK