Death toll rises to 28 in S. Korea's worst-ever wildfires

28/3/2025 15:09

The death toll rose to 28, with 37 others injured, in South Korea's worst-ever wildfires, government compilation showed Friday.



Since March 21, infernos had broken out in 11 areas, mostly in the southeastern Gyeongsang province, and five of them were completely extinguished, according to the central disaster and safety countermeasures headquarters.



In the remaining six areas, 83 percent of the fires were put out on average at 5:00 a.m. local time.



The blazes affected at least 48,150.61 hectares of woodland, marking the country's worst-ever wildfire damage. The previous high was in 2000 when 23,794 hectares of land were ravaged.



Of the wounded, nine people suffered serious injuries. Most of the victims were those aged 60 or higher, according to the headquarters.



The country's forest service raised the wildfire crisis alert to the highest level on Tuesday.