Deadly wildfires sweep South Korea’s southeast
More than 100 helicopters and 9,000 personnel have been deployed to battle the fires in Sancheong and elsewhere in southern South Korea
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At least 4 people killed in deadly wildfires in South Korea
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety said on Sunday that it had declared a state of disaster in the country’s southern regions to facilitate mobilisation of resources to contain the fires.
More than 9,000 staff and 105 helicopters were deployed to quell the fires engulfing areas mostly in the southeast of the country, damaging residential buildings and a temple, the Korea Forest Service said.
The fires started in the southern county of Sancheong on Friday, as well as at least three other regions in southern South Korea.
More than 1,500 residents took shelter as the fires wiped out some 6,300 hectares (16,000 acres) of forests, acting president Choi Sang-mok told a disaster response meeting.
“I request that the Korea Forest Service pay special attention to securing the safety of personnel in charge of extinguishing wildfires in the air or on the ground,” Choi said as he vowed to use all available resources to stop the fires.
Three of the four people who died were firefighters and one was a public servant, according to the Yonhap news agency.