A 73-year-old pilot died on the spot after a firefighting helicopter crashed while trying to put out a forest fire in Uiseong County, as the death toll from the blazes rose to 24.

A South Korean firefighting helicopter crashed at noon on March 26 (local time), killing a veteran pilot amid raging forest fires in the southeastern region of the country, Yonhap news agency reported.

The S-76 firefighting helicopter crash occurred in a mountainous area in Uiseong County (North Gyeongsang Province), about 180 km from Seoul. This is one of the three current forest fire hotspots in Korea.

The Korea Forest Service said the accident left a 73-year-old pilot dead at the scene.

The cause of the accident is under investigation.

A South Korean S-76 firefighting helicopter crashed at noon on March 26 while trying to put out a forest fire in Uiseong County (Gyeongsangbuk Province), killing the pilot on the spot. Photo: YONHAP

The Korea Forest Service had ordered the temporary grounding of all firefighting helicopters in service, but the decision was reversed about three hours later.

From 3:30 p.m. on March 26, only S-76 helicopters were suspended. Meanwhile, the dispatch of pilots to fight fires must receive the pilot’s consent.

The Korea Forest Service said the remaining 23 S-76s are still ready for duty and the agency plans to return the helicopters to service if they pass safety tests.

As of 4 p.m. on March 26, the total number of deaths due to forest fires in South Korea had increased to 24, including 20 cases in Uiseong and 4 cases in Sancheong (South Gyeongsang Province).

South Gyeongsang and North Gyeongsang provinces are home to many of Korea’s cultural and historical heritages, including many national treasures.

After the forest fire swept through and destroyed many heritages up to 1,000 years old such as Unramsa Temple, Goun Temple in Uiseong, the fire continued to spread and was only 5 km away from Hahoe Folk Village – a world heritage recognized by UNESCO – in Andong City.