At least four people have died as thousands of firefighters tackle wildfires in Portugal. Blazes have broken out as temperatures exceeded 30C over the weekend with baking conditions set to continue for the coming days.
According to local news agency Lusa, the total number of fatalities from the fires now stands at four as of Tuesday morning. The most recent death was that of an elderly woman whose house was in a fire zone in Almeidinha, Mangualde.
Four children are among the victims, many of whom were found dead inside their cars as they tried to flee the central forested region of Pedrógão Grande.
Hundreds of firefighters are continuing to tackle the blaze on several fronts.
Prime Minister Antonio Costa called it “the greatest tragedy we have seen in recent years in terms of forest fires
He said it was thought to have been sparked by a lightning strike.
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Four firefighters are among the 54 people injured in the fire, which is raging in several parts of a mountainous area some 200km north-east of the capital Lisbon.
There are fears the death toll could rise, as a number of people are still missing. The period of national mourning ends on Tuesday.
Emergency service workers were battling 156 fires across the country on Sunday, Prime Minister Costa said, adding that most of the victims had died in just one of them.
Secretary of State for the Interior Jorge Gomes said that most had died from smoke inhalation and burns, while two were killed in a road accident related to the fires.
Thirty bodies were found inside cars, with another 17 next to the vehicles, on one road leading on to the IC8 motorway.
Another 11 died in a village next to the motorway.
