Destruction at ancient temple complex in Uiseong caused by wildfires

One of South Korea's worst-ever wildfire outbreaks has killed at least 24 people, officials said Wednesday, with multiple raging blazes, causing "unprecedented damage" and threatening two UNESCO-listed sites. 

The 1,300-year-old Gounsa temple in Uiseong County, South Korea, has been badly damaged by the wildfires. Most of the buildings of the temple, have been destroyed and the main building in the complex remains largely undamaged. 

According to the interior ministry, the wildfires have charred 17,398 hectares, with the blaze in Uiseong county alone accounting for 87 percent of the total. More than a dozen fires broke out over the weekend, scorching wide swathes of the southeast, forcing around 27,000 people to urgently evacuate, with the fire cutting off roads and downing communications lines as residents fled in panic. 

The government has raised the crisis alert to its highest level and taken the rare step of transferring some inmates out of prisons in the area.