Logo

Logo

12 dead, several missing as Australia counts cost of devastating bushfires

On Monday, thousands of residents and holidaymakers were forced to seek shelter on beaches.

12 dead, several missing as Australia counts cost of devastating bushfires

(Photo: AFP)

At least 12 people were dead as major bushfire engulfed in Australia’s southeast coast this week and a fourth was missing and feared dead, as navy ships rushed to provide supplies and assist with evacuations.

On Monday, thousands of residents and holidaymakers were forced to seek shelter on beaches.

Bushfires have destroyed more than 4 million hectares (10 million acres) and new blazes are sparked almost daily by extremely hot and windy conditions and, most recently, dry lightning strikes created by the fires themselves.

Advertisement

On Wednesday, cooler conditions gave the country a moment to count the cost of the fires, although there were still more than 100 blazes in New South Wales (NSW) state alone and thousands of firefighters on the ground.

NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Gary Worboys said, “Sadly, we can report today that police have confirmed a further three deaths as a result of the fires on the South Coast”.

“Police are also at Lake Conjola now, where a house has been destroyed by fire and the occupant of that home is still unaccounted for”, Worboys added.

The wildlife park was threatened by an out-of-control bushfire, though zookeepers and firefighters managed to save all 200 animals.

In Victoria state, four people remain missing, state Premier Daniel Andrews said, after a massive blaze ripped through Gippsland – a rural region about 500 km (310 miles) east of Melbourne.

About 4,000 people in the town of Mallacoota in Victoria headed to the waterfront after the main road was cut off.

On Tuesday, a 28-year-old volunteer firefighter was killed battling a blaze on the border of New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria states after a “fire tornado” upended the truck he and two others were travelling in.

Scorching temperatures of over 40 degrees Celsius and high winds has seen fire fronts in this area tear through more than 200,000 hectares of dense forest in the past few days, leaving thousands trapped.

On Sunday, PM Morrison announced a compensation scheme for volunteer firefighters in New South Wales (NSW), who have been battling the catastrophic bushfires in the state.

Earlier, the New South Wales (NSW) state had declared a state of emergency, with bushfire conditions expected to worsen over the coming days as a record-breaking heatwave sweeps across the country.

In November, New South Wales’ Rural Fire Service said Thursday morning there were about 60 fires active, with 30 of them uncontained in the state where some 1,200 firefighters tried to mitigate the flames in the face of worsening conditions, such as rising temperatures and wind.

The fires have been fuelled by tinder-dry conditions after three years of drought that experts say has been exacerbated by climate change, a factor that has sparked a sharp political debate in recent days.

(With inputs from agency)

Advertisement