The South Korean fire teams fought on what the acting president Some of the worst fires ever in the country was said on Wednesday. At least 18 people died, to the authorities, because strong winds and dry conditions helped fire.
Two ancient Buddhist temples were among more than 200 buildings damaged or destroyed by The fires started on Friday. Tens of thousands of hectares were burned in the southeast of the country, the government said, and more than 27,000 people were evacuated, including about 500 prisoners from prison.
Eight fires were still burning on Wednesday morning, compared to six on Monday.
In addition to death cases, at least 19 people were injured, six of which were serious, the Ministry of the Interior said on Wednesday. Many of the dead were in the 60s and 70s, said a local police official in Brifing. The government noted that 43,000 hectares were damaged.
The fires “knocked down the worst fires ever,” the acting president Han Duck-Soo, who was just this week returned After being arrested in December. In a statement, his office said the fires were expanding beyond the initial predictions.
Among the people evacuated from their homes were residents of a 600-year-old Andong Hahoe Folk VillageThe place of UNESCO World Heritage More than 130 miles southeast of Seoul. The villagers described the flames as “devil” on social media and expressed frustration because of the lack of success in this.
The flames and smoke have damaged 209 buildings in the entire region, the Ministry’s statement is said, including two temples. Video from local news The cells showed a hellish environment and closure on temples, both more than 1,000 years.
The Korean Heritage Service on social networks announced on Wednesday that some treasure from one, the gouns temple, including the Buddha stone statue before the fire reached it.
Local officials closed the roads and suspended rail services, and some places lost power.
The government announced that firefighters contained almost 70 percent of the largest flame in Euiseong district, west of the village of Folk. Their efforts slowed down the winds of 56 miles per hour starting at Tuesday afternoon, which prevented them from mobilizing helicopters and drones.
The first flame began on Friday afternoon in Sancheong County, about 160 miles southeast of the capital. The Ministry of the Interior announced that it was investigating the claims that the agricultural lawn mower had started.
Separate fires broke out in nearby counties and cities in the next few days from episodes in the cemetery and in the garbage of the garbage. The officials attributed the rapid expansion of the fire to dry weather.
The Ministry of Justice announced that about 500 prisoners in the province of Northern Gyeongsang on Tuesday were transferred on Tuesday, Yonhap News reports.
