News / News Bulletin

Death toll from Portugal wildfires rises to 27

Monday, 16 October 2017 2:08 PM [ Last Update: Monday, 16 October 2017 2:10 PM ]

At least 27 people died in a massive wave of wildfires raging in central and northern Portugal on Sunday (October 15) and Monday (October 16) in the worst such calamity since a blaze killed 64 people in June, civil protection told a news briefing.

The fires, some of which an official said had been started deliberately, were fanned by strong winds as remnants of ex-Hurricane Ophelia brushed the Iberian coast.

Authorities in Portugal, where a huge fire killed 64 people in June, said the death toll was likely to rise. As many as 20 people could have been killed, television channel SIC said.

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