A Sunday of wildfires: 42 deaths, 71 injured, one missing and more than one hundred families displaced
The President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa reinforced the need to “take action” against the wildfires that are destroying Portugal. So far, 42 people have died, over 70 are injured and one is missing.
Sunday was the worst day of the year for fires in Portugal. On October 15, there were 523 wildfires — around 100 of which are still being fought –, more than 20 roads have been closed, dozens of people were trapped between the fires, and over six thousand firefighters are involved. The spokeswoman for the Portuguese Civil Protection confirmed 42 deaths, over 70 people are injured and one person is still missing.
The deaths occurred in the central and northern regions of Portugal, namely Coimbra, Castelo Branco, Aveiro and Viseu, according to the Portuguese Civil Protection. Firefighters are still fighting 108 blazes, with around 30 said to be of “extreme importance” due to their proximity to populations.
Patrícia Gaspar, spokeswoman for Civil Protection, confirmed on this Monday’s briefing that there are 42 deaths — among which a baby –, there are more than 70 injured — 16 in serious condition –, and that there is still one person missing (the other six people that were missing have been found, safe). The spokeswoman emphasized the possibility of having this numbers revised upwards in the next couple of hours.
The Government has proclaimed three days of national mourning in solidarity towards the victims of the tragedy. This Wednesday, the minister for the Interior Constança Urbano de Sousa resigned from office.
António Costa, Portuguese PM, stated he hopes “there are no more deaths”, as he was leaving an emergency meeting of Portugal’s Civil Protection authority this Monday morning. “Surely, these situations will repeat themselves”, António Costa added when asked about the need to prevent further tragedies. “There are no magic solutions and we cannot deceive the Portuguese people about a problem that has been building up over decades”.
The President of the Portuguese Republic Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa reaffirmed the urgent need to “take action” and said he is closely monitoring the wildfires’ situation, and that he will speak to the country when he can make an assessment of the tragedy. This Sunday, Marcelo had already expressed his sympathy towards the victims of the wildfires.
The European Commission also expressed their deep condolences to those affected by the wildfires in Portugal and also in Spain.
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(Last update: Tuesday 04:00 pm)
