Sancheong: The death toll from a wave of wildfires in the southeastern region has risen to 16, with another 10 injured, officials said Wednesday, as firefighters struggled to contain the rapidly spreading blazes. The fires, which began in Sancheong County in South 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.
According to Yonhap News Agency, of the victims, two were found in Andong, three in Cheongsong, five in Yeongyang, and six in Yeongdeok. Of the ten people who were injured, two sustained serious injuries. In Yeongyang, four of the five victims were found burned to death on a road at around 11:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
The engulfing flames destroyed Goun 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. The justice ministry reported that around 500 inmates at a prison in North Gyeongsang Province were transferred to another facility overnight to escape the flames. The ministry had initially considered transferring some 3,500 inmates from several prisons in the region but reduced the number as some of the fires were put out.