4 DEAD, 6 INJURED, 1,500 EVACUATED AS WILDFIRES SWEEP SOUTHEASTERN SOUTH KOREA

SEOUL, March 23 (Bernama-Yonhap) -- At least four people have died, six others have been injured and around 1,500 residents evacuated as wildfires, fuelled by strong winds, swept through parts of South Korea’s southeastern region.

The fires began in Sancheong County, about 250 kilometres southeast of Seoul, on Friday and quickly spread to neighbouring areas, Yonhap news agency quoted the authorities Sunday.

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, all fatalities were reported in Sancheong. Of the six injured, five sustained serious injuries.

Lee Han Kyung, deputy chief of the disaster control tower, has ordered all available firefighting resources to be mobilised swiftly to contain the blazes.

“Wildfires are rapidly spreading to broader regions due to dry weather, threatening people's lives,” Lee said during a disaster response meeting, pledging full efforts to bring the situation under control.

So far, approximately 3,286 hectares of land -- equivalent to nearly 4,600 football fields -- have been scorched. More than 1,000 hectares have been destroyed in both Euiseong in North Gyeongsang Province and in Sancheong.

Around 1,500 residents have been relocated to temporary shelters, as efforts to extinguish the fires continue.

As of 8 am Sunday, firefighting operations were still underway in four affected areas across the southeastern region.

-- BERNAMA-YONHAP