ANDONG: One of South Korea's worst-ever wildfire outbreaks has killed at least 24 people, officials said on Wednesday, with multiple raging blazes causing "unprecedented damage" and threatening two Unesco-listed sites. More than a dozen fires broke out over the weekend, scorching wide swathes of the southeast, forcing around 27,000 people to urgently evacuate, with the fire cutting off roads and downing communications lines as residents fled in panic.
The death toll jumped to 24 on Wednesday, as wind-driven flames tore through neighbourhoods and razed an ancient temple. "Twenty four people are confirmed dead in the wildfires so far," with 12 seriously injured, a ministry of interior and safety official said, adding that these were "preliminary figures" and the toll could rise. Most of those killed were local residents, but at least three firefighters were killed and a pilot in a firefighting helicopter died when his aircraft crashed in a mountain area, officials said. — AFP
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