A British couple were discovered semi-conscious and severely burned in a ravine in Almeria, Spain, by police searching for survivors of a devastating wildfire. The pair are believed to have been hiking when they became trapped by the blaze, which has claimed 12 lives and scorched more than 6,000 hectares of the southeastern Spanish province since Thursday.
Civil Guard officers found them in the charred landscape near the worst-hit community of Bedar as night fell on Thursday, during their search for those caught in the inferno. The officers had heard a sound far away but thought it was an echo, but following the sound and climbing down a hillside, they found the couple in critical condition, semi-conscious and with severe burns covering 40 per cent of their bodies.
The couple’s ability to call out for help in their condition was described as a ‘titanic effort’ by Rafael Zea, one of the officers involved in the operation. The officers initiated a two-hour rescue operation to transport the couple to intensive care in hospital. ‘We’ll never forget that look of surprise and emotion on their faces,’ said Sergeant Pedro Barre, another officer involved in the operation.
The couple are among eight people hospitalised with burns after the wildfire, which represents one of Spain’s deadliest on record. Firefighters continued to battle the flames on Saturday, after high winds eased, and more than 500 firefighters and emergency workers are involved in the firefighting effort.
The wildfire has forced the evacuation of at least 1,400 people from their homes, and forensic scientists in Madrid are using samples from the bodies of the victims and DNA samples from the families of those reported missing to try to identify the dead. Most of those killed are thought to be British and Belgian nationals, along with one Spaniard.
The Civil Guard confirmed on Saturday it had arrested two people on a ‘serious disobedience’ charge for allegedly returning to their homes against the instructions of police, after evacuation from a high-risk zone. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s office confirmed he will visit the affected area on Monday.
