Portugal Colonial - Foreigners among 12 dead in Spanish wildfire, 23 missing

The death toll from the wildfire, already one of the highest in Spain's recent history, could rise further as authorities said 23 people remain unaccounted for.

Many of the victims were believed to be foreigners, they added.

The fire, which started on Thursday in an area of steep ravines, destroyed forests and swathes of scrubland in the Los Gallardos area of Andalusia.

One unidentified man who was evacuated from the area told the Atlasnews agency he had seen "gas cylinders exploding, houses on fire, windows shattering".

Some people, he added, "got away by the skin of their teeth".

The head of the Andalusia regional government, Juan Manuel Moreno Bonilla, said DNA testing would be needed to identify the 12 victims as they are "badly burnt and unrecognisable".

He added that 23 people were missing, although he stressed they could be struggling to get in touch with loved ones or have sought shelter in other areas.

"So we have to be cautious and wait for more specific information to emerge," Moreno said.

- 'Extraordinary pace' -

Spain has been sweltering in extreme heat, creating tinderbox conditions favourable for the rapid spread of wildfires.

Scientists agree that climate change caused by humans burning fossil fuels is making extreme weather events such as heatwaves more likely and more intense.

Fuelled by gusts of around 50 kilometres (30 miles) per hour, the blaze moved at "an extraordinary pace", advancing 15 kilometres in just two hours, Moreno said.

The authorities said residents of the whitewashed village of Bedar had been told to either take a recommended evacuation route, or stay in their homes given that the fire was so close.

The failure of some residents to follow these recommendations "may have led to the tragic loss of life in some cases", Moreno said.

Located about 15 kilometres from Spain's Mediterranean coast, Bedar is popular with those seeking a quieter alternative to the nearby beach resorts.

Most of the foreigners who live in the village "are older people who have found a haven of peace in this area" in isolated places, Bedar's parish priest, Victor Fernandes, told radio Cope.

When told to evacuate, they may have felt they knew the best route out of danger but were mistaken, he added.

- Difficult access -

Four of the victims are believed to be British nationals who were found burned to death inside a right-hand drive car, Moreno said.

Another seven people died while trying to escape on foot, Bedar mayor Angel Francisco Collado told reporters.

Spanish media said the 12th victim was a cyclist who got swept up in the flames.

Officials said eight people had been injured, four seriously, and hundreds of residents had been evacuated.

Around 500 firefighters, backed by Spain's Military Emergency Unit, battled to contain the flames which officials said have so far ravaged some 3,200 hectares of land.

Moreno said it could take days to bring the blaze under control.

"The rugged terrain, with its steep slopes, has made access extremely difficult," he said.

AFP reporters saw firefighters battling to douse the flames sweeping across the parched countryside, sending plumes of white smoke into the air.

Witnesses said the fire may have been started by a power line that fell and set scrubland alight but there was no official confirmation.

"My mother texted me yesterday at 6:53 p.m. to say they were being evacuated," she wrote. She has not heard from them since.

Spain has suffered increasingly frequent and prolonged heatwaves in recent years, with temperatures often exceeding 40C, fuelling conditions for major wildfires.

Deadly wildfires devoured almost 400,000 hectares (one million acres) of land in Spain last year, the highest figure recorded for the country by the European Forest Fire Information System.

A.Silveira--PC