6 days ago
Two found dead in car as Cyprus wildfire rages on
Firefighters in Cyprus are battling for a second day to control a massive wildfire which has engulfed mountain villages in the eastern Mediterranean island.
Two people were found dead in their car, trapped by the blaze which started on Wednesday, local time.
Scores of homes were destroyed as people fled their homes overnight from a towering wall of flames north of the city of Limassol.
Although the cause was not immediately known, authorities said they would be looking at the possibility of arson.
"It was sheer hell," said Father Michalis, a Greek Orthodox priest who had to evacuate his village.
After subsiding early Thursday, authorities were struggling to contain flare-ups at midday, stoked by strong winds.
"Our focus right now is to control the fire, utilising to the maximum all ground and air forces," government spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis said.
"We are facing an unprecedented situation."
The fire, which broke out Wednesday amid 44-degree heat and strong winds, tore through at least 100 square kilometres, devastating a wine-producing region already suffering from drought.
A new amber warning was in place on Thursday, with highs forecast to hit 44 degrees Celsius — the hottest of the year so far.
Cyprus has struggled with a drought, pushing scarce water resources to critically low levels.
The affected area sits just north of Cyprus's Kouris reservoir, the island's largest.
It was at just over 15 per cent of its capacity on Wednesday.
Although heatwaves and wildfires are common in this region, their impact on human life and the damage has become much more pronounced in recent years.
"It's an unspeakable tragedy for everyone … Unfortunately, we'll no longer have this paradise that we enjoyed for so many years," said resident Kostas Hatzikonstantinou.
Burned-out cars, collapsed roofs, and blackened churches lay in the hillside villages of Souni and nearby Kantou, where firefighting helicopters continued dumping water on smouldering ground.
Firefighters across Türkiye also battled multiple wildfires on Thursday amid a heatwave that killed 10 firefighters.
At least six separate wildfires burned across Turkey and Turkish Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli warned that strong winds and scorching heat were creating extremely dangerous conditions.
Late on Wednesday, Yumakli said 10 firefighters were killed while battling a fire in the central Eskisehir province, adding that 14 others were injured.
Reuters/ABC
