24 dead in South Korea wildfires 

At least 24 people have been killed and more than 20 injured as wildfires rage in multiple areas across South Korea’s southeastern region.

The wildfires began late on Friday in Sancheong county in Northern Gyeongsang province before spreading to neighbouring Uiseong county – located about 180km (111 miles) southeast of the capital Seoul – and have advanced into Andong, Cheongsong, Yeongyang, and Yeongdeok counties.

The Korea Forest Service said firefighters were fighting at least five active wildfires nationwide as of Wednesday morning.

The death toll jumped to 24 on Wednesday as wind-driven flames tore through neighbourhoods and razed an ancient temple, officials said.

Among those killed was a pilot of a firefighting helicopter who died when his aircraft crashed in a mountain area in Uiseong.

Officials in Andong and other southeastern cities and towns have ordered residents to evacuate as firefighters struggle to contain the fires, which have burned more than 17,000 hectares (42,000 acres) of forest and destroyed hundreds of structures, including the more than 1,000-year-old Gounsa temple in Uiseong.

National treasures stored at the Buddhist temple, which was built in 681, were moved to safety in other areas of the country, Yonhap said.

Authorities also issued an emergency alert for Hahoe Folk Village – a UNESCO-listed World Heritage Site popular with tourists in Andong county – as the blaze drew closer.