▲A ship dispatched by the Royal Australian Navy to assist in wildfire relief efforts. [Image source=EPA Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] As wildfires continue to spread daily in southeastern Australia, casualties are mounting. The Australian government has dispatched military aircraft, warships, and military helicopters to assist with evacuations and the distribution of relief supplies, AP News reported on the 1st.
The emergency authorities in Victoria, Australia, which has recently suffered severe wildfire damage, announced that the Australian Defence Force (ADF) is moving a warship to the coastal city of Mallacoota to carry out supply missions for two weeks.
In Mallacoota, a coastal city in Victoria, about 4,000 residents and tourists were trapped and had to watch most of the town burn down.
A military landing craft capable of lowering ramps onto the shore departed from Sydney carrying drinking water and food to deliver to the isolated evacuees, and military helicopters are planned to evacuate them, said Darren Chester, Australia's Minister for Defence.
Currently, major roads in Mallacoota are all closed due to fire risk except for a few evacuation routes.
Minister Chester said, "All routes to Mallacoota are blocked by flames, making access difficult. Naval warships are the only way to supply essentials and rescue multiple people at once."
Wildfires have been spreading recently in Victoria, including Mallacoota, and neighboring New South Wales, increasing the scale of damage. Currently, over 200 fires are occurring across New South Wales and Victoria, threatening several cities.
Fifteen people have died in New South Wales alone, and one person has died in Victoria. Including unaccounted missing persons, the damage is expected to grow.
Due to this week's fires, more than 1,300 homes across Australia have already been destroyed.
Even in areas not yet affected by wildfires, both residents and tourists have started panic buying, leading to shortages in many stores and gas stations.
With residents and tourists both panic buying, many stores and gas stations have already run out of supplies. Due to power outages caused by the wildfires, credit card payments are also impossible, local media reported.
The wildfires that began in October are still ongoing, with the burned area now reaching 5 million hectares (50,000 km²).
On the 1st, the air quality in Canberra, the capital, was reported by AP News to be 21 times worse than the hazardous level due to smoke from the fires, posing a threat to public health.
Canberra was covered in thick smoke, which has spread as far as New Zealand. Meanwhile, in politics, Scott Morrison's conservative government has been criticized for failing to properly address climate change, leading to the worst wildfires in history.
Australia is the world's largest exporter of coal and liquefied natural gas, and Prime Minister Morrison supports the coal industry.
Richard Di Natale, leader of the Australian Greens, has called for the establishment of a royal commission to investigate responsibility for the wildfires.
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