(Adnkronos) – At least 19 people have died in what has been one of South Korea’s worst wildfires, with multiple blazes causing “unprecedented damage”. South Korean Acting President Han Duck-soo said, adding that “chaos continued throughout the night, with power and communication lines cut in several areas and roads blocked.”
The Interior Ministry in Seoul reported that the wildfires have charred 17,398 hectares, of which 87% was caused by the fire in Uiseong County alone.
The fires, which have burned large areas of the southeast, have forced some 27,000 people to evacuate. The government has raised the alert level to the highest level and has transferred thousands of inmates from prisons in the area.
