Europe heatwave: Spanish wildfires claim 13th victim, British woman in her 90s

A British woman has died of injuries sustained in wildfires that swept through Spain’s southeastern Almeria province, bringing the total number killed to 13.

The woman, 93, was among eight people admitted to hospital following the fire, four of them with serious injuries.

The Andalusian regional government said in a statement on Sunday night the woman, who had pre-existing medical conditions, had been admitted to the emergency room in the early hours of Friday with burns covering 20 per cent of her body.

Regional emergency chief Antonio Sanz expressed condolences to the family of the woman and others killed in one of Spain’s deadliest-ever wildfires, which burned more than 7000 hectares in the Los Gallardos municipality.

Spain’s forensic services data unit, the CID, said two more people had been reported missing after it started working with authorities in France, Britain and Belgium to formally register their cases, bringing the total to 10.

The CID said in a statement it was now allowing family members overseas to report their loved ones missing and provide DNA samples in their countries of origin, and it expected to receive more reports in the coming days.

Authorities have not formally identified the dead, which may include some of the individuals reported as missing.

The president of the regional government of Andalusia, Juanma Moreno, posted on social media at midday on Sunday that the fire had been contained and its perimeter secured.

More than 1000 residents were given the all clear to return to their homes in the evacuated villages north of Los Gallardos on Sunday afternoon.

Mr Moreno urged citizens to remain vigilant throughout the summer, noting that in Andalusia, Spain’s most populous region, an average of 15 forest fires were breaking out every day, rising at times to as many as 22.