Another British woman has died in the wildfire in Spain as the authorities continue to search for survivors
A 93-year-old British woman has sadly died after suffering injuries in the devastating Spanish wildfire.
The Andalusian government has confirmed the pensioner was rushed to hospital after sustaining burns to around 20 percent of her body, but sadly didn’t make it.
Her death marks the 13th since the inferno ripped through the village in southern Spain, with many among the dead thought to be British and Belgian.
Another four bodies were also found in a burnt-out car in the blaze. The authorities believe they were Brits, due to the vehicle’s right-hand steering wheel.
The sad news comes as rescuers celebrated finding two survivors who were badly burnt by a ravine on Sunday. The hikers, also British, have not been identified but the Spanish national broadcaster RTVE said the man and woman suffered 40 percent burns to their bodies.
The pair were found by a team of Civil Guards, who said they had already checked the area, but had a feeling that they should go back.
In an interview with RTVE, the Civil Guard officers said they found them alive just as night was falling.
Sergeant Pedro Barre told the broadcaster: “That experience we accumulate over the years is what tells you: take another look, give it one last try, check again just in case.”
He said they called out and used whistles, before eventually hearing a sound which they thought at first could have been an echo.
Another of the rescuers, Rafael Zea, said that given the couple’s injuries, it must have taken a “Titanic effort” for them to raise their voices to be heard.
With the help of firefighters and emergency services, they were rescued after more than two hours.
The pair are now said to be in a serious condition in hospital, although their lives are not believed to be in danger.
Spanish authorities believe all the victims were foreign tourists, who are thought to have attempted to escape on foot after apparently abandoning their vehicles and trying to flee through rugged terrain.
Antonio Sanz, head of Andalusia’s emergency services, previously said that authorities had completed post-mortem examinations and DNA samples were collected to identify them.
Spain has suffered frequent and severe heatwaves in recent years, with temperatures often exceeding 40C.
In June, Spain experienced several days of record-setting heat, with more than 1,000 excess deaths attributed to heat.
