Death toll from forest fire raging in Portugal climbs to 62

Firefighters work to put out a forest fire near Bouca, in central Portugal, June 18, 2017.[Photo/Agencies]

LISBON - Portugal has declared three days of national morning as the forest fire death toll has reached 62.

Interior Ministry official Jorge Gomes has told state broadcaster RTP that the number of victims from the flames and suffocating smoke has reached 60, while another two people perished in a traffic accident related to the fires.

The death toll has gradually climbed from the 19 initially announced late on Saturday. Gomes said most of the victims were caught in their vehicles on the road.\

Another 59 people have been injured and taken to hospitals, including five in serious condition.

The government has declared Sunday through Tuesday national days of mourning for the victims of a fire "which has caused an irreparable loss of human life."

The government also said that 360 soldiers are joining the 700 firefighters struggling to put out the blaze that started on Saturday.

The blaze on Saturday hit the mountainous area of Pedrogao Grande, 200 km northheast of Lisbon, amid an intense heat wave and rainless thunderstorms. Police said a lightning striking a tree probably caused the fire.

"The smoke cloud is very low, which does not allow helicopters and fire planes to work efficiently ... but we're doing everything possible and impossible to put out this fire," Gomes said, adding that no villages were currently at risk.

President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa visited the site of the tragedy during the night and later expressed his condolences.

The "situation is unfortunately atypical ... " he said. "It was not possible to do more than what has been done" in prevention and the immediate response.

Television footage showed hundreds of local residents being treated for smoke intoxication in emergency services tents set up in the area. Many who lost their homes were transferred to temporary shelters.

Costa said that firefighting crews were having difficulties in approaching the area because the fire was "very intense." He added that Portuguese authorities were working on identifying the victims and that Spanish rescuers would assist in efforts to control the blazes.

Costa said that while investigations are ongoing to determine the cause of the fire, authorities believe that the high temperatures of 40 C (104 F) in recent days may have played a part.

"This is a region that has had fires because of its forests, but we cannot remember a tragedy of these proportions," said Valdemar Alves, mayor of Pedrogao Grande. "I am completely stunned by the number of deaths."Portugal, like most southern European countries, is prone to forest fires in the dry summer months.

The tragedy is the worst in recent memory in the southern European country, which often suffers wildfires during the hot and dry summer months.

AP and Reuters