Forest fire engulfs cars killing 62 in Portugal

RAGING forest fires in central Portugal have killed at least 62 people, many of them trapped in their cars as flames swept over a road, in what the prime minister called the biggest tragedy the country had experienced in years.

The country has declared three days of national mourning for the victims. A lightning strike is believed to have sparked the blaze in Pedrogao Grande after investigators found a tree that was hit during a “dry thunderstorm”, the head of the national judicial police said.

Dry thunderstorms are frequent when falling water evaporates before reaching the ground because of high temperatures.

Portugal, like most southern European countries, is prone to forest fires in the dry summer months.

“This is a region that has had fires because of its forests, but we cannot remember a tragedy of these proportions,” said Valdemar Alves, the mayor of Pedrogao Grande.

“I am completely stunned by the number of deaths.”

Interior Ministry official Jorge Gomes said that 60 people had died from the flames and suffocating smoke, while another two people perished in a traffic accident related to the fires. – The Independent