At least 12 people have died and 23 are missing after horror wildfires in Spain swept through the south-east of the country last week, with at least four victims believed to be British
A British man died in the Spanish wildfires while on the phone to his wife after returning home to rescue their pets, a friend has said.
Penelope Howe, 54, said her friend’s husband died when flames engulfed his car during the evacuation of the Los Gallardos area of Almeria province. Ms Howe, originally from Wolverhampton but who now lives near the village of Bedar, said: “She’s in deep shock. At one point he needed to stop and she spoke to him on the phone. He had got the cats and was trapped in the car.
“They were speaking together for the last few minutes. That was how it ended.” The tragic news came as emergency services continued searching through the mountainous landscape.
At least 12 people have died and 23 are missing after blazes swept through the south-east of the country last week. At least four others of those who died are thought to be British, after bodies were found in the burnt-out shell of a right-hand-drive Honda Accord.
The car was discovered in a convoy of six cars and a motorbike abandoned on a dirt track near Bedar. The Spanish Civil Guard also revealed a British couple had been rescued from a ravine in Almeria. Sergeant Pedro Barre told Spanish broadcaster TVE that the two were thought to have been out hiking when the blazes spread.
Sgt Barre said he and his colleagues heard a sound while searching for survivors. They found the couple in critical condition, with burns on 40% of their bodies. They are now in intensive care.
Rafael Zea, another officer on the search, added to TVE: “Being able to call out in the condition they were in was a titanic effort. We’ll never forget that look of surprise and emotion on their faces.” More than 150 firefighters and 220 soldiers fought the blaze, with more than 1,400 people evacuated as it spread on Thursday.
Emergency vehicles and recovery trucks spent a fourth day yesterday travelling into the hills to help the search. Police also blocked off access to mountain villages.
One Brit, who asked not to be named, said: “We were very lucky to get out. I’ve heard they may be bringing bodies down.”
Police said they were still trying to identify the 12 people known to have died after post-mortems on their burned bodies failed to determine even their gender. DNA samples of the victims have been flown by police helicopter to Madrid for analysis. Officials have declined to comment on reports that three minors were among them.
Haunting pictures have emerged of the gutted vehicles in the convoy where the four British nationals are believed to have died. The photos show the charred chassis of one vehicle facing in the opposite direction to the rest, appearing to indicate the terrified driver had made an attempt to turn back after heading into a wall of flames.
Regional officials say they expect 11 of the 12 known victims to be identified as foreigners, probably British and Belgians. Four people with serious burns were airlifted to a hospital in Seville yesterday, but their ages and nationalities have not yet been revealed.
Belgian virologist Thomas-Wolf Verdonckt said his father, Stanislas, had died in a valley on the outskirts of Bedar, and he rejected officials’ reports that blaze victims had not followed instructions. Authorities have said those who died ignored official advice to shelter in place – but Mr Verdonckt said his father had not been told the fire was heading his way, or that it would be safer to stay at home.
He told Sky News: “The people who died did not fail to follow any orders, because no orders were given. No information was provided. They couldn’t get through via the main road, because they were not warned in advance. Nobody told them that the fire was coming from that direction, and when they tried to get out, it was too late.”
Authorities said local officials and police went door-to-door and telephoned residents with instructions on how to evacuate or shelter.
A sustained heatwave with temperatures of 40C has caused fires across Southern Europe.
