The death toll in forest fires all over the southeastern region of South Korea has risen to 24, and a helicopter to combat fires was killed when the plane crashed on Wednesday, as the country fights some of its worst forest fires for decades.
The government said that fatal forest fires quickly spread and forced more than 27,000 residents to flee their homes. The fire, which is fueled by strong winds and dry weather, collected the entire neighborhoods, closed schools and forced the authorities to transport hundreds of prisoners from prisons.
“We are deploying all the employees and equipment available in response to the worst forest fires ever, but the situation is not good,” said the President, Acting President Han Duck Soo.
The Korea Forest Service said that 24 people were confirmed dead in fires. This collapse was not given, but earlier that the Ministry of Safety said that 14 people had passed away in Osseung province, and four other deaths were linked to a fire in Sanchyong Province.
The Ministry of Safety said that the dry conditions in the Hashim area were expected to continue on Wednesday.
The forest service also said that one of her helicopters was crashed while trying to extinguish the fire in the province of Oznag, and the pilot was killed.
South Korea relies on helicopters to treat forest fires due to its mountainous terrain, and the accident led to a short fleet.
Video footage of the scene showed what appears to be the twisted fuselage along with the smoking wreckage spread on the side of the hill. The authorities said that the cause of the accident was being investigated.
Yun John Payong said in October that eight Russian helicopters from the 48 -year -old Forest Fleet in Korea have been used in fire control have been removed since last year due to the inability to import parts of Russia due to sanctions related to the Ukraine war.
Kim Jong John, the spokesperson for the Forestry Department in Korea, said the agency is planning to secure more helicopters that suffer from forest fires, responding to criticism about the lack of equipment and helicopters on the ground.
He said that 4919 firefighting personnel were deployed on Wednesday, including hundreds of police officers and military units, while 87 helicopters were used.
The old temple destroyed
The fire that erupted on Saturday has not yet been contained in Ozung, which led to the destruction of old temples and the destruction of homes.
A city official said that Ozng fires were also threatening many UNESCO World Heritage sites, Hawa Village and the Confucianian Academy of Pyongocell, in the city of Ando on Wednesday, the city official said, while the authorities sprayed fire inhibitors to try to protect them.
Yonhap reported that the fire had already burned the John Temple, an old temple built in 681.
The government has identified the affected areas as a special disaster areas and said that the fires had damaged more than 15,000 hectares.
“The Uiseong fire, which includes only 68 percent and those who have been exacerbated by stormy winds, shows a scale and speed” unimaginable. “
He told me that climate change makes forest fires more frequent in the world, citing the extraordinary timing Forest fires that destroyed part of Los Angeles In January and a massive fire in northeastern Japan.
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