Madrid: The death toll from the devastating wildfire in southeastern Spain has risen to 13 after a 93 year old British woman died from the injuries she suffered in the blaze, making the disaster one of the deadliest wildfires the country has seen in recent years.
Spanish health authorities confirmed that the woman died in hospital after suffering severe burns over about 20 percent of her body. Doctors said her advanced age and existing health problems made it difficult for her to recover. She had been among several people admitted to hospital after the fast moving fire swept through parts of Almeria province last week.
The wildfire broke out near the town of Los Gallardos on Thursday and spread rapidly because of extremely high temperatures, dry vegetation and strong winds. The flames moved quickly through forests, farmland and residential areas, forcing hundreds of people to flee their homes while emergency services battled to contain the blaze.
Officials said the fire has burned more than 7,000 hectares of land, destroying homes, vehicles, crops and natural vegetation. Although firefighters have now managed to contain the fire, they continue to monitor the affected area to prevent fresh outbreaks as hot and dry weather continues across southern Spain.
The victims include Spanish citizens as well as foreign nationals. Several of those who died were from Britain and Belgium. Authorities are still working to formally identify some of the victims because many of the bodies were badly burned. DNA testing is being used to complete the identification process.
Search teams also continue to look for people who remain missing. Spanish authorities believe around 10 people are still unaccounted for, including several Belgian citizens. Officials have allowed relatives living in other countries to provide DNA samples without travelling to Spain in an effort to speed up the identification of victims.
Emergency workers also carried out dramatic rescue operations during the disaster. Among those rescued was a British couple who became trapped in a ravine while hiking as the fire spread. The couple managed to contact emergency services before rescuers found them badly burned and only partly conscious. Both remain in intensive care with severe burn injuries, and doctors continue to monitor their condition closely.
As rescue and recovery efforts continue, questions are being raised about how emergency warnings were handled. Regional authorities have said residents were advised to stay inside their homes because roads were becoming dangerous due to heavy smoke and advancing flames. However, some relatives of the victims have challenged that explanation, saying their family members either received no warning or believed it was safer to try to escape.
The son of one Belgian victim has publicly questioned the official account, saying his father never received clear instructions before the fire reached the area. His comments have added to growing calls for a full investigation into the emergency response and whether evacuation procedures were carried out quickly enough.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is expected to visit the affected communities as recovery efforts continue. National and regional authorities have promised support for families who lost loved ones and for residents whose homes and businesses were destroyed.
The wildfire comes as much of southern Europe experiences another period of extreme heat. Scientists have repeatedly warned that climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of heatwaves, creating conditions that allow wildfires to spread more quickly and become more destructive. Recent studies have linked this summer's prolonged heat across Europe to thousands of excess deaths, highlighting the growing human cost of rising temperatures.
Investigators are now working to determine the exact cause of the wildfire while emergency crews remain on alert for new fires as Spain continues to face dangerous weather conditions during the peak of the summer season.