South Korea redeployed firefighting helicopters after a fatal crash caused a temporary grounding on Wednesday as authorities struggle to contain “unprecedented” deadly wildfires that have ravaged the country’s southeast,

A combination of an aging society and a reliance on temporary workers meant older people were disproportionately on the frontlines tackling South Korea's devastating wildfires this week - and paid a disproportionate price.

Light rain offered some relief to South Korean authorities tackling the country's worst wildfires on record, with exhausted firefighters making another push on Friday to contain blazes stretching 70 km (44 miles).