Seoul [South Korea], March 26 (HBTV): The death toll from a series of wildfires in southeastern South Korea has risen to 18, with one person still missing, according to forest service officials cited by Yonhap News Agency on Wednesday.

Firefighters are continuing efforts to control the fast-spreading fires, which began in Sancheong County, South Gyeongsang Province, last Friday. The blazes have since spread to Uiseong and are advancing toward Andong, Cheongsong, Yeongyang, and Yeongdeok, driven by strong, dry winds.

Among the casualties, two were found in Andong, three in Cheongsong, six in Yeongyang, and seven in Yeongdeok. One person remains missing in Cheongsong. Additionally, 10 people have been injured, including two in critical condition.

In Yeongyang, four of the five victims were found burned to death on a road around 11:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Yonhap News Agency reported.

On Wednesday, South Korean acting President Han Duck-soo called for an all-out effort to contain the fires, describing them as 'the worst wildfires ever.'

According to Han’s report, the fires have so far destroyed 17,000 hectares of forest and 209 houses and factories. The flames also consumed Goun Temple in Uiseong, an ancient site built in 681 during the Silla Dynasty, though national treasures housed there had been relocated for safety.

Thousands of firefighters, supported by dozens of helicopters and emergency vehicles, have been deployed to battle the wildfires. Since last Friday, around 5,000 military personnel and 146 helicopters have been sent to assist in the efforts, Yonhap News Agency reported.

Meanwhile, the Justice Ministry of South Korea stated that approximately 500 inmates from a prison in North Gyeongsang Province were transferred overnight to another facility to escape the approaching flames. Initially, the ministry had planned to relocate about 3,500 inmates from multiple prisons in the affected area, but the number was reduced as some fires were extinguished. (ANI)