Wildfire affected Central and North Portugal; killed 39 people

Lisbon, October 17: The Central and North Portugal has been affected by the series of wildfires which started at the weekend has killed at least 39 people. The civil defense authorities said that dozens of the 145 fires still blazing are considered serious.

 

Three people lost their lives after the fires which broke out across the border in Spain’s Galicia region in the north. Due to the dry hot summer, the fire erupted and thousands of firefighters are battling the flames. The flames were spread and made the conditions worsened because of the Hurricane Ophelia as it approached the winds of Europe's western coast.

 

According to the local media, 15 people are in serious condition and more than 50 people have been injured, many people are still missing in Portugal. While in Spain, by the side of the road two of the victims were found in a burned-out car but the rain is forecast for the affected area. Many schools and roads were closed in some areas. The deaths were in the areas of Coimbra, Guarda, Castelo Branca and Viseu of Portugal.

An emergency has been declared in north Portugal in the area of the Tagus River which is about half of the country's land area. On Monday, More than 6,000 firefighters were deployed. People are trying to help each other by forming a human chain to have a control on fire and rescue the trapped people.