Residents evacuate as South Korean wildfire death toll rises to 24

Record ID: 1986094

  • Title: Residents evacuate as South Korean wildfire death toll rises to 24
  • Date: 26th March 2025
  • Summary: ANDONG, SOUTH KOREA (MARCH 26, 2025) (REUTERS) (NIGHT SHOTS) VOLUNTEER SPRAYING WATER AT WILDFIRE WILDFIRE ON HILL VOLUNTEER SPRAYING WATER AT WILDFIRE WILDFIRE ON HILL VARIOUS OF DISPATCHED FIRE ENGINE ON ROAD YEONGYANG, SOUTH KOREA (MARCH 26, 2025) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF RESIDENTS IN EVACUATION SHELTER VARIOUS OF SUPPLIES FOR RESIDENTS VARIOUS OF RESIDENTS RESTING IN SHELT
  • Embargoed:
  • Keywords: South Korea climate change fire mountain natural disaster wildfires
  • Location: ANDONG & YEONGYANG, SOUTH KOREA
  • City: ANDONG & YEONGYANG, SOUTH KOREA
  • Country: South Korea
  • Topics: Asia / Pacific,Disaster/Accidents,Wildfires/Forest Fires
  • Reuters ID: LVA001179926032025RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Volunteers were seen battling fierce wildfires in Andong, South Korea, on Wednesday night (March 26), spraying water on the advancing flames.
    Meanwhile in Yeongyang, residents found temporary solace in evacuation shelters, receiving supplies and resting as they waited for further information.
    The death toll in the wildfires raging across South Korea's southeastern region rose to 24 and the pilot of a firefighting helicopter was killed when the aircraft crashed on Wednesday, as the country battles some of its worst forest fires in decades.
    The deadly wildfires spread rapidly and forced more than 27,000 people from their homes, the government said.
    The blazes, fuelled by strong winds and dry weather, have razed entire neighbourhoods, closed schools and forced authorities to transfer hundreds of inmates from prisons.
    The Korea Forest Service said 24 people had been confirmed dead in the fires.
    It did not give a breakdown, but earlier the Safety Ministry said 14 people had died in Uiseong county, and four other deaths were linked to a blaze in Sancheong county,
    Many of the dead were older people in their 60s and 70s, said Son Chang-ho, a local police official.
    The Forest Service also said one of its firefighting helicopters crashed while trying to extinguish a blaze and the pilot was killed.
    The government has designated the affected areas as special disaster zones, and said the fires had damaged more than 15,000 hectares (37,065 acres).
    (Production: Nicoco Chan)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2025. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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