LISBON, 17 October (BelTA - Xinhua) - The number of dead in Portugal's latest bout of forest fires now stands at 36, the National Civil Protection Authority (ANPC) said on Monday, with the number expected to rise further.
Some 523 wild fires flared up on Sunday in Portugal, with the majority and worst of them located in the north and center of the country.
The 36 fatalities are concentrated there, in the Coimbra, Aveiro, Castelo Branco and Viseu districts. A further seven people were missing and 56 were injured, 16 seriously, said ANPC.
As firefighters continue to battle to bring the last of the fires under control, attention turns to how such a tragedy could have occurred.
