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At least 11 people have died as a wildfire ripped through southern Spain’s Almería province amid a stifling heatwave that has gripped the country.
Authorities raised an earlier death toll of six to 12 “after the confirmation of six more deaths in the area of the fire,” the regional government of Andalusia said in a statement. A few hours later, Spains emergency services corrected the number down to 11.
Some of the dead in Bedar in Almería were found in burned vehicles, the regional government said in a statement.
Officials have not yet confirmed the identities of the victims, but indicated that many of the victims may be foreign tourists and that the toll could increase.
“Everything indicates that the deceased are, mostly or entirely, foreign nationals,” said Antonio Sanz, the Andalusia region’s minister for emergencies, with authorities still confirming their identities.
He said four of the dead were in a right-hand drive car that indicated they were British, but that their identities were still being confirmed. Sanz said others appeared to have died as they tried to flee the flames.
Roads were closed and residents evacuated as the inferno spread, with about 50 people housed in a cultural centre.
The fire injured at least eight people, four seriously, including a woman who suffered burns and another person with smoke inhalation who were taken to hospital. Authorites said 19 people remain missing since the fire started on Thursday afternoon, burning 3,150 hectares of land.
Witnesses told authorities the blaze may have started after a power line fell, igniting dry vegetation before spreading rapidly through surrounding woodland, but authorities have not confirmed the fire’s cause.
‘Unprecedented tragedy’
Regional emergency chief Antonio Sanz called the deaths “an unprecedented tragedy”, adding in the statement that “the pain is immense”.
Spain has experienced increasingly frequent and prolonged heatwaves in recent years, with temperatures often exceeding 40C, creating conditions for major wildfires.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez expressed his condolences in a post on X: “Deep sadness and devastation at the terrible consequences of the fire affecting the province of Almería. I wish to convey my condolences to the families of those who died in the Los Gallardos forest fire. My wishes for a speedy recovery to the injured and my solidarity with all the affected residents.”
Spain’s Military Emergency Unit (UME) has deployed 150 personnel to reinforce the efforts to extinguish the wildfire , where they are working in coordination with firefighters and other emergency services. In total, the operation has mobilised around 400 professionals on the ground.
Additional sources • AFP