Portugal has declared three days of national morning as the forest fire death toll has reached 62.
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 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 says that 360 soldiers are joining the 700 firefighters struggling to put out the blaze that started on Saturday.
The tragedy is the worst in recent memory in the southern European country, which often suffers wildfires during the hot and dry summer months.
