Spain wildfires has claimed 11 lives, sparking emergency efforts to control the blaze.
According to Reuters, 19 people went missing in the southern Spain as firefighters battling to bring one of the country's deadliest blazes on record under control.
Most of the victims appeared to be foreign nationals who ignored instructions to shelter in place and decided to try to flee in their cars, said Antonio Sanz, head of emergencies in the Andalusia region.
The flames had spread extremely rapidly in a wooded area around the town of Los Gallardos in Almeria province, a popular holiday destination.
Foreigners among those killed
Four people, who appeared to be British because the steering wheel of their car was on the right-hand side, died in one vehicle, he said. Seven others were found dead after apparently abandoning their cars and attempting to escape on foot along a route that was not part of the evacuation plan.
Sanz said, "The consequences have been terrible. Everything seems to indicate that, in the case of the dead, the majority - or all of them - are foreign nationals.”
PM Pedro Sánchez urge people to take ‘extreme caution’
Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez says all of Spain's "material and human" resources have been deployed to extinguish the fire.
In a post on X Sánchez says he has spoken to leader of the Andalusia region, Juanma Moreno, and adds that the pair have been working together since it began.
He wrote, "I reiterate the government’s condolences to the families of those who have died and our solidarity with all residents. Please follow the recommendations of the authorities and emergency services. Take extreme caution."
Heatwave trigger early wildfire
A series of early summer heatwaves has triggered an early start to wildfire season in Spain.
As per European Forest Fire Information System, so far this year, about 57,000 hectares (140,850 acres) have burned, about half the annual average for the past two decades and making up 40% of all the area burned in the European Union.
Roman Garcia, a forest firefighter, “We usually don't see these fires until August. They’re starting earlier now because the vegetation dries out sooner.”
Last year, a record heatwave in August provoked the worst wildfire season in three decades, charring 330,000 ha, an area twice the size of London.
