Forest fires broke out in South Korea on March 21, and the flames are still spreading due to winds. At least 24 people have died in the country.
CNN and Reuters write about this.
Among the victims were four civil servants who were sent to fight forest fires. Many of the dead were elderly people aged 60-70. There are also 26 injured. A helicopter crashed while fighting the fire, and the pilot died on the spot.
The Korea Forest Service is facing technical problems with its fleet of 48 Russian helicopters. Eight have been out of service since last year because sanctions related to the war in Ukraine mean they cannot import spare parts, a Democratic Party lawmaker said last October.
The forest fires have now burned about 17 000 hectares, with 27 000 people evacuated. More than 10 000 firefighters and 87 helicopters are battling the fires in four regions. The weather agency is forecasting rain across South Korea on Thursday, March 27, although only 5 to 10 mm of precipitation is expected in the areas affected by the fires.
“We are deploying all available personnel and equipment to respond to the most severe wildfires, but the situation is bad,” said Acting President Han Dak Soo, adding that the US military in Korea is also helping.
The fires are expected to be the third most destructive in South Koreaʼs history. It is now known that a Buddhist temple, which was about 1 300 years old, was completely burned down. Some of the artifacts were saved.
- The wildfires began late on Friday, March 21, in Sancheon County in North Gyeongsang Province, then spread to neighboring Iseong County, located about 180 km southeast of the capital Seoul, and spread to Andong, Jeongseon, Yongyang and Yeondeok counties.
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