A raging forest fire ripping through central Portugal crossed a road on Sunday, trapping dozens of people in their cars and killing at least 30 of them.
That’s in addition to another 30 people that the fire had already killed in the area, making it one of the deadliest tragedies Portugal has seen in recent years.
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According to government officials in Portugal today, the blaze in the area around Pedrógão Grande trapped motorists in their cars along one stretch of road in a densely forested area, eventually suffocating and killing them before rescuers could arrive.
A four-year-old child was among those killed.
The official death toll right now stands at 62 total people, though that number may fluctuate as officials learn more about the full extent of the fire.
Also on Sunday, Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa declared three days of national mourning, and said that the fire itself has been:
“The worst tragedy in terms of human lives that we’ve known in recent years.”
It’s been incredibly dry and hot all across Portugal early this summer, with a recent heat wave and drought severely affecting firefighters’ abilities to control the raging inferno.
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Our thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends, and loved ones of those lost.
Such a sad, scary day in Portugal.
R.I.P.
[Image via YouTube.]
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