Foreigners among 12 killed in Spain wildfire
Bédar, SPAIN—A fast-moving wildfire in southern Spain has killed 12 people of different nationalities after trapping them in vehicles and as they tried to flee on foot, authorities said on Friday.
The death toll from the wildfire—one of the highest in Spain’s recent history—could rise further as authorities said 23 people remained unaccounted for.
The fire, which started on Thursday in an area of steep ravines, destroyed forests and swathes of scrubland in the southeastern Los Gallardos area of Andalusia, home to many foreign residents.
Agence France-Presse (AFP) reporters saw firefighters battling to douse the flames sweeping across the parched, rugged terrain, sending plumes of white smoke into the air.
‘Badly burned’
Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska confirmed people of “different nationalities” were among those killed, without mentioning specific countries.
But he advised caution over the figure of 23 people missing, as some could involve people being unable to contact unharmed loved ones.
A technical body responsible for supervising identification work said seven reports of missing people had been formally submitted.
Autopsies had been performed on all 12 bodies and biological samples were being transferred to Madrid for their identification by the Civil Guard, the body added.
The head of the Andalusia regional government, Juan Manuel Moreno Bonilla, said the 12 victims were “badly burned and unrecognizable.”
‘Extraordinary pace’
Spain has sweltered in extreme heat exceeding 40 degrees Celsius in recent weeks, creating tinderbox conditions favorable for the rapid spread of wildfires.
Scientists agree that human-driven climate change is making extreme weather events such as heat waves more likely and more intense.
Fueled by gusts of around 50 kilometers per hour, the blaze moved at “an extraordinary pace,” advancing 15 km in just two hours, Moreno said.
The authorities said residents of the whitewashed village of Bédar had been told to either take a recommended evacuation route, or stay in their homes given that the fire was so close.
The failure of some residents to follow these recommendations “may have led to the tragic loss of life in some cases,” Moreno said.
Located about 15 km from Spain’s Mediterranean coast, Bédar is popular with those seeking a quieter alternative to the nearby beach resorts.
Ana, a shopkeeper in Los Gallardos, told local news outlet Ideal that “panic was setting in among the residents” as nearby settlements were evacuated.
Helping overnight in the municipal hall, where evacuees were resting in improvised beds, Ana said she saw “people with panic attacks that were so strong that I decided not to go back in.”
Players, coaches and fans observed a minute’s silence before Spain’s World Cup quarterfinal against Belgium in Los Angeles.
