Forest fire leaves at least 24 dead

At least 24 people have been killed in a forest fire in central Portugal, the government said late Saturday. The majority of those killed were travelling in their cars when they were trapped by flames, the BBC reported.

Twenty others, among them six firefighters, were injured in the blaze near Pedrogao Grande, about 200 kilometres northeast of the capital, Lisbon. The fire was threatening several villages in the area. The cause of the blaze, which broke out Saturday afternoon, had not been determined.