British woman's death raises Spain wildfire toll to 13 people

A 93-year-old British woman has died after being injured in wildfires that swept through southeastern Spain's Almeria province, regional authorities said, bringing the confirmed death toll to 13 people.

The Andalusian government said the woman, who had pre-existing medical conditions, was taken to an emergency unit early on Friday with burns covering 20% of her body. She was among eight people hospitalised after the blaze, including four with serious injuries.

Regional emergency chief Antonio Sanz offered condolences to the woman's family and to relatives of others killed in what has become one of Spain's deadliest wildfire disasters. The fire burned more than 7,000 hectares in the Los Gallardos municipality.

Spain's forensic services data unit said two more people had been reported missing after it began coordinating with authorities in France, Britain and Belgium, raising the number of missing cases to 10. Families abroad are being allowed to file missing-person reports and provide DNA samples in their countries of origin.

Authorities have not formally identified the dead, and some of those listed as missing may be among the victims. Belgium's government said it believed three Belgian nationals were among those killed in the Los Gallardos fires.

An Iranian-born British man, Cameron Karoonian, 72, said he hoped he still had a home to go to. "And then we just need to go and pick up where we left, really," he said. "Get on living and find the cats, make sure they're okay and put it behind us, really."

Andalusia's regional president Juanma Moreno said on Sunday that the fire had been contained and its perimeter secured, while more than 1,000 evacuated residents were cleared to return to villages north of Los Gallardos.

Moreno urged citizens to remain vigilant throughout the summer, noting that in Andalusia, Spain's most populous region, an average of 15 forest fires were breaking out every day, rising at times to as many as 22.

Read more:

• Firefighters battle deadly wildfire in southern Spain
• Spanish wildfire victims die as evacuation roads become deadly traps
• Southern Europe braces for fresh heatwave as wildfire threat intensifies

Tags

Spain wildfire Europe heatwave Almeria