Since last Friday, a wave of wildfires has ravaged the region, and some 36,000 hectares of woodland have been burned, according to government data. It is nearly 13,000 ha more than the 23,794 ha damaged by the east coast wildfires in 2000, which were the worst in the nation's history at the time.
About 37,000 people have been displaced, including 29,911 in the Uiseong and Andong areas in North Gyeongsang Province.
Earlier in the day, acting President Han Duck-soo instructed acting Interior Minister Ko Ki-dong to reside in North Gyeongsang Province and oversee relief efforts for wildfire victims until the blazes are brought under control.
"It is worrying that many of the victims are senior citizens, including patients at nursing hospitals," Han said.
"Please personally take care of the victims' health and safety on the ground and activate an efficient support system so that the wildfire-extinguishing personnel and volunteer workers do not burn out," Han said.
In North Gyeongsang Province, intense efforts have been under way to limit the spread of wildfires.
Authorities mobilized helicopters, fire trucks and firefighting personnel to battle the blaze that began in Uiseong County, about 180 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on Saturday and has rapidly spread due to strong winds.
Some 5 mm of rain was expected to fall in North Gyeongsang Province, according to weather officials.
A main blaze in Uiseong, which was moving at speeds of up to 8 kilometers per hour, has spread toward the northeast and reached coastal areas in the East Sea.
Another main blaze in Ulju, however, showed signs of being extinguished, Ulsan Mayor Kim Doo-kyum told reporters.
Water was cut off in some parts of Andong for the second day, prompting the city government to supply bottled water and emergency supplies to residents.
Nearly 2,500 houses in the city experienced power outages, with officials still working to restore electricity to 177 of them.
The nearby county of Yeongdeok also suffered water and power disruptions as a water purification plant burned down, electricity was cut off to another plant, and a power substation halted operations.
Communication services were also down in the county overnight before being restored early Thursday.
AzVision.az
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