Wildfires deaths jumps to over 20

Devastated history: Debris burning at the wildfire-razed Gounsa Temple in Uiseong. — AFP

At least 24 people have been killed in one of South Korea’s worst wildfire outbreaks, with multiple raging blazes causing “unprecedented damage”, the acting president said.

More than a dozen fires broke out over the weekend, scorching wide swathes of the southeast, forcing around 27,000 people to urgently evacuate, with the fire cutting off roads and downing communications lines as residents fled in panic.