As the grim task of identifying the charred bodies left in the path of the Pedrógão Grande fire continues as news has been released that one of the injured firemen has died in hospital.
According to the president of the fire service, Jaime Marta Soares, the 63rd victim is a 30-year-old firefighter from Castanheira de Pêra who had been hospitalised in Coimbra on Sunday with serious burns.
Five fire fighters do far have been hospitalised with a range of serious injuries including burns and smoke inhalation.
The Minister of Internal Affairs announced today that 24 bodies so far have been identified but, Constância Urbano de Sousa stressed, "this information will already be out of date” as work continues and more are able to be named.
At first the, the minister had indicated that there were no foreign victims among the dead but news was released today by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs that a French citizen has died.
The British Embasssy in Lisbon stated on Monday that “Two Britons were admitted to hospital but since have been discharged”, and that staff are in “close contact with central and local authorities and also hospitals.”
Meanwhile the fire continues with some areas impossible to access overland. Certain of the air support have been grounded due to dangers cause by local meteorological conditions but the overall number of aeroplanes available has risen to 14, alongside 1,139 firefighters and 373 vehicles in a coordinated effort that has been boosted by units from the Algarve. The EU's Civil Protection Mechanism was activated on Sunday to provide firefighting aircraft.
Portugal's President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, returned to the scene early this afternoon and said that he is being kept informed about the latest developments and that he will speak to the press later.
In other parts of the country there are numerous small fires and five ones in the districts of Castelo Branco, Coimbra, as well as Leiria. These are being tackled by 2,137 firemen, 667 vehicles and 21 aeroplanes.
As for victims at Pedrógão Grande: at least 64 people have lost their lives and 136 are wounded, including 121 civilians, 13 firefighters and a GNR officer.
Among the victims are four children. Rodrigo, four, was riding with an uncle in a car. In the village of Mó Pequena, Bianca, also aged four, died when she ran away with her grandmother.
Two children under the age of eight were riding in another vehicle that got caught in the fire.
Most of the victims were caught in the flames as they drove off and found themselves trapped by a swiftly advancing wall of fire. Several villages suffered damage with houses destroyed and people dead. Many villagers are still missing.
In one village, Pobrais, a third of its population has died in the fire.
The village in the Vila Facaia parish, has lost 11 or 12 people of its population of 36. One elderly man died at home and the others died trying to flee the blaze.
"There was no one here in Pobrais," said a local, Claudino Vaz, referring to the lack of firefighters. "They probably could not get here, the roads were blocked for them too."
Claudino managed to escape by car, "In an instant, in a very few minutes, the fire spread with a rapidity never before seen and a front of more than ten kilometers, surely.”
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