A 93-year-old British woman has become the 13th person to die in the devastating wildfires that have swept through parts of Spain. The woman was taken to hospital on Friday after suffering burns to about 20 per cent of her body. Her death was confirmed on Sunday afternoon.
The total number of deaths from the fires now stands at 13, with at least four of the victims believed to be British. Four bodies were also found in a burnt-out car with its steering wheel on the right, indicating that the occupants were likely to be foreigners. Spain’s forensic services data unit, the CID, has reported that two more people have been reported missing, bringing the total to 10.
The CID is working with authorities in France, Britain, and Belgium to formally register the cases of missing people and is allowing family members overseas to report their loved ones missing and provide DNA samples in their countries of origin. The unit expects to receive more reports in the coming days.
In a separate development, two British hikers were found alive but badly burned on Sunday. The man and woman, who have not been identified, are thought to have suffered 40 per cent burns and are in a serious condition in hospital. They were discovered by a team of Civil Guards who had been searching the area and heard their voices after calling out and using whistles.
The pair were rescued with the help of firefighters and emergency services after more than two hours. Spanish authorities believe that all the victims were foreign tourists who attempted to escape on foot after abandoning their vehicles and trying to flee through rugged terrain.
The son of a Belgian man who died in the wildfires has disputed authorities’ claims that his father and other victims ignored official advice to shelter in place. Thomas-Wolf Verdonckt said that his father, Stanislas Verdonckt, was among eight victims found dead in a valley below the Paraje el Curato area, and that no officials told the group that the fire was heading their way or that it would be safer for them to stay at home than flee.
Verdonckt said that his father, a keen hiker and photographer, had a home in the area for many years and knew the terrain well. During their final phone conversation, Verdonckt said his father debated the options to protect himself and was calm even in the most desperate situations.
The Andalusian government has said that no text alert was sent to residents, as the advice differed depending on their location in the mountainous, wooded terrain, and on the latest developments in the fast-moving situation. Instead, local mayors and police went door-to-door or called residents, either indicating a safe route along which to evacuate or instructing them to shelter in place.
More than 1,000 residents were given the all-clear to return to their homes in the evacuated villages north of Los Gallardos on Sunday afternoon.
