11 killed in wildfires in southern Spain

At least 11 people were confirmed dead and 19 others remained missing after a major wildfire broke out on Thursday afternoon in Spain's southern Andalusia region, regional authorities said Friday, reported Xinhua.

Andalusian regional government President Juanma Moreno said the death toll could rise to 12, as a suspected additional victim had been located but had yet to be officially identified.

Antonio Sanz, acting regional minister for Health, the Presidency, and Emergencies, described the blaze in Los Gallardos as the deadliest wildfire on record in Andalusia and an "unprecedented tragedy."

The victims were believed to include British, Belgian and Spanish nationals, although their identities and nationalities had yet to be formally confirmed, Sanz said.

Eight other people were injured, including four who suffered severe burns and remained hospitalized.

The Andalusian 112 Emergency Service said the fire was first reported at around 5:00 p.m. local time (1500 GMT) on Thursday. Fueled by high temperatures, low humidity and strong winds, the blaze spread rapidly into the neighboring municipality of Bedar.

Preliminary findings indicated that a fallen power cable may have ignited nearby vegetation, triggering the wildfire.

Authorities activated the Andalusian Forest Fire Emergency Plan (Plan INFOCA), evacuated Bedar and nearby communities, temporarily closed sections of the A-7 freeway and the N-340A road, and relocated about 1,000 residents to temporary shelters.

King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez expressed condolences to the victims' families. Sanchez said emergency personnel, including the Military Emergency Unit, had been deployed to contain the blaze and urged the public to exercise extreme caution.

Firefighting operations continued on Friday, while judicial authorities investigated the cause of the fire and worked to identify the victims.