South Korea fires kill at least 18 people

He fought fire sets in South Korea, what is the president on behalf He said on Wednesday, it was some of the worst forest fires ever in the country. At least 18 people died, according to the authorities, where strong winds and dry conditions helped fuel fires.

Two old Buddhist temples were among more than 200 damaged buildings or destroyed The fires started on Friday. The government said tens of thousands of acres are burned in the southeast of the country, and more than 27,000 people were evacuated, including about 500 prisoners of prison.

Eight fires were still burning on Wednesday morning, up from six on Monday.

In addition to the deaths, at least 19 people were wounded, six of them seriously, the Ministry of Interior said on Wednesday. A local police official said at a press conference that many of those who died were in the 1960s and 1970s. The government noted that 43,000 acres were damaged.

Acting chief Han Dako, who was this week, said that “fires were” crashed in the record of the worst forest fires ever. ” Repeat After his isolation in December. In a statement, his office said that the fires are spreading beyond the initial predictions.

Among the people who were evacuated from their homes, the 600 -year -old residents were The popular village of Andoj HawUNESCO’s World Heritage website, more than 130 miles southeast of Seoul. The villagers described the fire as “Satan” on social media and expressed their frustration of the lack of success in its situation.

Fire and smoke destroy 209 buildings throughout the region, according to the ministry’s statement, including two temples. Videos from local news The stations showed the surrounding hell and closure on temples, both more than 1000 years old.

On Wednesday, the Korean heritage service on Wednesday said that some treasures from one, Gunsa Temple, including the Buddha Stm, had been removed before the fire reached it.

Local officials closed the roads outside and suspended trains services, and lost some energy places.

The government said that firefighters contained nearly 70 percent of the largest fire in Euiseong Province, west of the popular village. Their efforts were slowed due to the 56 -mile winds per hour, starting on Tuesday afternoon, which prevented them from filling the helicopters and drones.

The first fire began on Friday afternoon in Sanchyong County, about 160 miles southeast of the capital. The Ministry of the Interior said it was investigating the allegations that the grass miracle of the farmer had started this.

Separate fires broke out in the provinces and nearby cities in the following days of the episodes in a cemetery and in garbage incinerators. The officials attributed the rapid deployment of fires to the dry conditions.

The Ministry of Justice said it had transported about 500 prisoners in the North Jeonggeng Province overnight on Tuesday, according to Yonhap News.