S Korea declares national disaster after a massive blaze

The South Korean Government, recently declared a state of national disaster over the massive blaze that engulfed five cities and countries along the northeastern coast.

According to local media reports, the blaze started on Thursday evening at around 7:17 pm on a roadside in Goseong a northeastern border town some 210 km northeast of the capital Seoul.

One person died after being hit by a falling object and 11 people were wounded in blaze.

Thousands of residents were ordered to evacuate overnight. According to an estimate, over 120 houses have been destroyed by the fire even as official confirmation on the figures remains awaited.

According to Choi-Jin-ho, a fire captain at Gangwon Fire Headquarters in Seoul “ The fire likely started on Thursday night from a transformer spark near a resort in the town of Goseong and spread to the nearby mountains. Affected by strong wind, the flame rapidly spread to mountainous regions including the Inje country and the cities of Sokcho, Donghae and Gangneung in Gangwon province.

872 fire tenders from across the country were pressed into service to tackle the blaze. Nearly 10,000 personnel, including 3,350 firefighters have been mobilized.

The military and police gathered from across the nation for rescue operation and firefighting.

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