AT LEAST 15 KILLED IN SOUTH KOREA WILDFIRES

SEOUL, March 26 (Bernama-Yonhap) -- The death toll from a wave of wildfires in the southeastern region of South Korea has risen to 15, officials said Wednesday as firefighters struggled to contain the rapidly spreading blazes, Yonhap News Agency reported. 

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  pm on Tuesday, according to report.

The engulfing flames destroyed Goun Temple in Uiseong, an ancient temple built in 681 during the Silla Dynasty. 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 said around 500 inmates at a prison in North Gyeongsang Province were transferred to another facility overnight to escape the flames.

-- BERNAMA-YONHAP