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Al Bawaba
27-03-2025
- Climate
- Al Bawaba
Death toll from wildfires in South Korea reaches 26
ISTANBUL The number of people killed in wildfires sweeping across parts of South Korea has risen to 26, authorities said Thursday. The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters said wildfires in North and South Gyeongsang provinces have caused 56 casualties: 26 deaths, eight serious injuries, and 22 light injuries, according to Yonhap News Agency. As many as 37,185 residents have been displaced, including 29,911 in the Uiseong and Andong areas about 190 kilometers (118 miles) southeast of Seoul. Some 20,485 people have returned home after evacuation, while the remaining 16,700 are still staying in shelters. Three elderly residents died when a vehicle carrying them became engulfed in flames during an evacuation of a nursing home which housed 21 residents, all in their 70s and 80s, in Yeongdeok-eup, Yeongdeok County in eastern South Korea. The flames also gutted the historic Gounsa Temple in Uiseong County, originally built in 681 AD by a Buddhist monk during the Silla Dynasty. Cultural officials moved the temple's 9th-century Stone Seated Buddha and other historical artifacts to safety before the fire reached the site. Thousands of firefighters, dozens of helicopters and emergency vehicles have been deployed since the fires began last Friday in Sancheong County, South Gyeongsang Province. Fueled by strong, dry winds, the wildfires have since spread rapidly north to Uiseong, Andong, Cheongsong, Yeongyang and Yeongdeok. The South Korean military has also deployed an estimated 5,000 service members and sent 146 helicopters to help fight the fires alongside thousands of firefighters. The Korea Forest Service said the fire extinguishing rate stood at 52% in Andong, 54% in Uiseong and 77% in Sancheong, Hadong and Cheongsong, respectively. Korea University announced Wednesday that it will offer scholarships to students from the areas affected by the wildfires.
The Independent
26-03-2025
- Climate
- The Independent
At least 18 dead as ‘unprecedented' wildfires ravage South Korea's southern regions
At least 18 people have died and 20 injured as South Korea battled some of the most destructive wildfires in its history. The flames, which began on Friday, tore through southeastern regions, amplified by dry weather and strong winds this week as Japan also struggled with new wildfires. Fires have burned through more than 17,400 hectares (43,000 acres), destroying hundreds of structures, including a 1,300-year-old Buddhist temple. Over 27,000 people have been evacuated from cities and towns including Andong, Uiseong, Sancheong and Ulsan. Earlier, four people were confirmed dead, but authorities on Wednesday said the death toll now stands at 18. Among those killed were four firefighters and civil servants who died on Saturday after being trapped by fast-moving flames. In a televised address, South Korea's acting president Han Duck Soo said the wildfires were causing worse damage than many other past wildfires. "Damages are snowballing," Mr Han said. "There are concerns that we'll have wildfire damages that we've never experienced, so we have to concentrate all our capabilities to put out the wildfires in the rest of this week." He added: "We are deploying all available personnel and equipment in response to the worst wildfires ever but the situation is not good." Authorities have deployed nearly 9,000 personnel, including soldiers and firefighters, backed by more than 130 helicopters and hundreds of vehicles. But strong winds and dry conditions have repeatedly allowed the fires to spread after being partially contained. In Uiseong, officials said only 68 per cent of the blaze was under control as of Tuesday. The fire also spread to the nearby coastal town of Yeongdeok, where officials shut down roads and ordered residents of at least four villages to evacuate. The historic Gounsa temple, founded in 681 during the Silla Dynasty, was destroyed in Uiseong. Heritage officials said some of the site's national treasures, including a stone Buddha statue, were removed before the flames reached the main wooden buildings. In the coastal town of Yeongdeok, roads were closed and residents in at least four villages were ordered to evacuate. There were unconfirmed reports that 2,600 inmates were being relocated from a prison in nearby Cheongsong county due to the advancing fires. Emergency shelters have been set up in schools and gyms, and UNESCO -listed sites such as Hahoe Folk Village and the Byeongsan Confucian Academy in Andong were under threat on Wednesday, local officials said. The fires are suspected to have been triggered by human activity, possibly sparks from welding or people clearing dry grass near ancestral tombs, according to government officials. Forest expert Lee Byung-doo warned that large-scale wildfires are likely to increase as the climate changes. 'We have to admit that and prepare more resources and manpower,' he said. Wildfire seasons around the world have grown longer and more intense as climate breakdown makes dry and windy conditions more common. Scientific studies have found that climate crisis has already extended the global wildfire season by roughly two weeks on average.
Korea Herald
25-03-2025
- Climate
- Korea Herald
At least 15 killed as deadly wildfires rage in southeastern region
The death toll from a wave of wildfires in the southeastern region rose to 15, officials said Wednesday, as firefighters struggled to contain the rapidly spreading blazes. The fires that began in Sancheong County in North Gyeongsang Province last Friday have spread to nearby Uiseong, and were advancing to neighboring Andong, Cheongsong, Yeongyang and Yeongdeok, fueled by strong and dry winds. Of the victims, two were found in Andong, three were in Cheongsong, four were in Yeongyang and six in Yeongdeok, officials said. In Yeongyang, the four victims were found burned to death on a road at around 11:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The engulfing flames destroyed Gounsa Temple in Uiseong, an ancient temple built in 681 during the Silla Dynasty (57 B.C.-A.D. 935). National treasures stored in the temple had been relocated to other locations. Thousands of firefighters and dozens of helicopters and vehicles were deployed to fight the blazes. Since last Friday, the military has deployed some 5,000 service members and 146 helicopters to help combat the wildfires raging in the southeastern region. (Yonhap)
