Uiseong, March 26
A South Korean firefighting helicopter with one pilot crashed on Wednesday while battling a large wildfire in the southeastern county of Uiseong, killing the pilot, authorities said.
The helicopter went down on a mountain in Uiseong, located about 180 kilometres southeast of Seoul, at 12:54 p.m., according to the Korea Forest Service.
The cause of the accident is under investigation, authorities said, news agency reported.
Meanwhile, the death toll from a wave of wildfires in the southeastern region has risen to 16, with another 10 injured, officials said on Wednesday, as firefighters struggled to contain the rapidly spreading blazes.
The fires that began in Sancheong County in South Gyeongsang Province last Friday have spread to nearby Uiseong, and were advancing to neighbouring Andong, Cheongsong, Yeongyang and Yeongdeok, fueled by strong and dry winds.
Of the victims, two were found in Andong, three were in Cheongsong, five were in Yeongyang and six in Yeongdeok, officials said.
Of the ten people who were injured, two sustained serious injuries.
In Yeongyang, four of the five victims were found burned to death on a road at around 11:00 p.m. on Tuesday.