Four Britons were among 12 people killed in one of Spain's deadliest wildfires, their bodies found in a burnt-out car after they attempted to flee the flames. The vehicle, with a steering wheel on the right, was discovered near the village of Bedar in the Los Gallardos area of Almería, where another 23 people remain missing.
Hundreds of firefighters and military personnel are battling to contain pockets of flame after the fire swept through 6,600 hectares of land on Thursday. Three days of mourning have been declared for the victims, among them three children, according to local reports.
“Four Britons are among 12 killed in Spain's wildfire as 23 missing; bodies found in burnt-out car.”
Antonio Sanz, Andalusia's health and emergencies minister, said on Saturday that weather conditions had improved, “allowing us to face the day with better prospects than yesterday”. He added: “This is the first day we will be able to mount a direct attack on the fire. Until now, weather conditions and the behaviour of the blaze only allowed us to work defensively.”
The cause has been attributed to a fallen power line, but local electricity companies have denied responsibility. Some of those who died had not taken a recommended evacuation route, though it is unclear how well that guidance was conveyed.
Lucinda Curtois, who arrived in Spain with her partner and teenage children for a holiday on Thursday, described the moment the fire hit Bedar. “It was almost like there was a mushroom cloud of smoke, it was like a bomb had gone off,” she told the BBC. She feared at least two other UK nationals had been killed: “They left their home on foot, I don't know why. I can only presume it was probably because their road was cut off because they live out in the countryside.”
The village of Bedar is home to roughly 70% British inhabitants, most of whom are elderly and retired there. Juanma Moreno, the president of Andalusia, said: “We knew it was going to be a difficult summer, but we never expected a fire of this magnitude.” The authorities have warned that the number of dead could rise, with fears that more Britons may be among those killed.
