Killer blaze in Portugal

THE death toll from raging forest fires in central Portugal has risen to at least 62 people, many burnt to death in their cars, the government said yesterday, in the country’s worst such disaster in recent history.

Authorities declared three days of national mourning as more than 900 firefighters battled the blaze, which also left 62 people injured.

The fire erupted Saturday in the municipality of Pedrogao Grande in central Portugal, apparently caused by a lightning strike, and spread furiously.

“The fire has reached a level of human tragedy that we have never seen before,” Prime Minister Antonio Costa said.