A resident looks on as a wildfire devastates the area in Andong, South Korea.
Credit: Yonhap via Reuters Photo
Seoul: The pilot of a helicopter fighting massive wildfires raging in South Korea was killed in a crash on Wednesday, the Yonhap News Agency reported.
Wildfires expanded in South Korea's southeast region on Tuesday, threatening a world heritage site and forcing thousands more residents to evacuate their homes.
With a population of 1,50,000 people, the city of Andong, home to Hahoe Village, a UNESCO World Heritage site, issued an alert to its residents to evacuate to safe areas, according to a city official and a public text alert.
At least four people have been killed and hundreds forced to flee their homes since blazes broke out in several areas on Saturday, stoked by strong winds and dry weather.
Acting President Han Duck-soo on Tuesday vowed to deploy resources from helicopters to workers on the ground to put out the fires as quickly as possible.