An ancient Buddhist temple in the southeastern county of Uiseong was burned down Tuesday as the nation struggled to contain wildfires that ravaged the southeastern region, authorities said. Gounsa Temple,

Wildfires have been ravaging South Korea, where dozens of people have died and thousands have been evacuated. The "unprecedented" crisis remains critical, according to acting president Han Duck-soo, who said the fires are "rewriting the record books for the worst wildfires in our nation's history".

At South Korea's thousand-year-old Gounsa Temple, workers delicately swaddled a giant gilded Buddha statue with a fire-retardant blanket.