Forest fires leave more than 10 dead in southern Spain

Some of the dead were found in burned vehicles, Folha and Euronews report. As of Friday (10/7), authorities had not confirmed the identity of the victims, but indicated that many of them could be foreign tourists and that the death toll could increase.

RTVE described the event as the “deadliest wildfire of the 21st century” in the popular tourist destination. More than 1,000 residents from several communities were evacuated due to the flames, highlights DW. “There are no words to describe such pain,” said Andalusia’s Minister of the Presidency, Health and Emergencies, António Sanz, classifying the fire as an “unprecedented tragedy.”

The deaths caused by the forest fire occurred at a time when Europe is facing the consequences of a series of prolonged heat waves that have already caused, directly or indirectly, thousands of deaths, including from exposure to extreme temperatures and drowning, reports the Financial Times. The new heat wave of the European summer, which began last week, raised temperatures again to 40°C in Spain and France.

Forest fires have killed hundreds of people on the European continent in the last decade, recalls the AP. Among the deadliest events are the huge fire that devastated the coastal town of Mati, east of Athens, Greece, in 2018, when more than 100 people died; and the forest fire in Pedrógão Grande, 200 kilometers from Lisbon, Portugal, in 2017, which left 66 people dead – most of the victims died on a road while trying to escape by car.

O Globo, CNN, BBC, The Guardian, AP, New York Times, Reuters and France24 also reported on the deadly fire in Spain.