Forest fires kill 43 in central Portugal

A huge forest fire in central Portugal has killed at least 43 people and injured 59 others, most of them burning to death as they tried to flee in their cars, the government said.

Several hundreds of firefighters and 160 vehicles were dispatched late on Saturday to tackle the blaze, which broke out on Saturday afternoon in the municipality of Pedrogao Grande before spreading fast across several fronts.

“Unfortunately, this seems to be the greatest tragedy we have seen in recent years in terms of fires,” Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa said, adding that the death toll could rise further.

Secretary of state for the interior Jorge Gomes said that three people died from smoke inhalation and 18 people travelling in four cars died on the road linking Figueiro dos Vinhos to Castanheira de Pera.

Among the 59 injured was an eight-year-old girl with burns found wandering alone close to the fire, the Correio de Manha newspaper reported.

Portugal has been experiencing a severe heatwave, with temperatures rising to over 40C in several regions on Saturday. Around 60 forest fires broke out across the country during the night, with some 1,700 fireighters battling to put them out.

“This is a region that has had fires because of its forests, but we cannot remember a tragedy of these proportions,” said Valdemar Alves, the mayor of Pedrogao Grande.

“I am completely stunned by the number of deaths.”