SEOUL: At least 16 people have died as multiple wildfires rage across South Korea’s southeastern region.
Deadly wildfires spread across South Korea’s southeastern region on Tuesday (Mar 25), forcing thousands of residents to flee their homes and razing neighbourhoods, with authorities transferring hundreds of inmates from prisons.
As of Wednesday 5 am, 12 people had died in a wildfire starting from Uiseong county, while four other deaths were linked to another fire from Sancheong county, according to the Safety Ministry.
The Uiseong fire, only 68 per cent contained and exacerbated by strong winds, shows “unimaginable” scale and speed, said Lee Byung-doo, a forest disaster expert at the National Institute of Forest Science.
Acting President Han Duck-soo has vowed to deploy firefighting helicopters and ground personnel to battle the fires, fuelled by strong winds and dry weather.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/east-asia/south-korea-wildfires-death-toll-uiseong-blaze-5023801
