MADRID: Thousands of firefighters, supported by military personnel and water-bombing aircraft, are battling dozens of wildfires across Spain and Portugal.

The death toll has risen to six since the outbreaks began, with two firefighters killed in separate road accidents on Sunday.

The Iberian peninsula has been severely affected by forest fires intensified by heatwaves and drought linked to climate change.

More than 343,000 hectares of land have been destroyed in Spain this year, setting a new national record, according to the European Forest Fire Information System.

Virginia Barcones, head of Spain’s Civil Protection and Emergencies, confirmed 23 active fires posing a direct threat to communities.

The fires, now in their second week, are concentrated in Galicia, Castile and Leon, and Extremadura.

In Ourense province, charred forests, blackened soil, and destroyed homes mark the devastation, with thick smoke forcing residents to wear facemasks.

Locals in shorts and T-shirts joined firefighters, using hoses and buckets to slow the flames.

One resident in O Barco de Valdeorras described the wildfire as “like a bomb” that swept through his area.

Barcones expressed hope that changing weather conditions would aid firefighting efforts as Spain’s heatwave subsides.

International support includes firefighting aircraft from France, Italy, Slovakia, and the Netherlands, while Portugal receives aid from Sweden and Morocco.

Spanish Defence Minister Margarita Robles described the situation as “very difficult, very complicated” due to the fires’ intensity and smoke.

A firefighter in Castile and Leon died when his water truck overturned on a steep forest road.

Two other volunteer firefighters and a Romanian stable worker also lost their lives in fire-related incidents.

In Portugal, a firefighter died in a traffic accident, while a former mayor perished while fighting flames.

Around 2,000 firefighters are deployed across northern and central Portugal, with half stationed in Arganil.

Portugal has lost 216,000 hectares of land to wildfires since the start of the year- AFP

ATHENS, 19 Ogos: Dua lelaki berusia 19 dan 27 tahun telah direman berhubung kebakaran hutan yang memusnahkan kawasan hutan, ladang, rumah serta premis perniagaan di Bandar Patras, barat Greece, lapor Xinhua yang memetik laporan media tempatan.

Kedua-dua suspek berdepan pelbagai pertuduhan membakar, termasuk menyalakan api di kawasan berhutan dan tidak berhutan. Pihak berkuasa mendakwa mereka bersekongkol dan bertindak secara berulang kali , menurut laporan itu.

Penyiar awam Greece, ERT, melaporkan suspek berusia 19 tahun mengaku memulakan kebakaran itu dan menunjukkan kepada polis lokasi nyalaan di kawasan Vounteni berhampiran Sychaina, yang sepadan dengan hasil siasatan Unit Jenayah Arson Jabatan Bomba.

Kebakaran itu menyebabkan kerosakan besar sebelum berjaya dikawal. Pegawai mengesahkan kedua-dua suspek akan terus ditahan sementara menunggu prosiding undang-undang selanjutnya, manakala siasatan masih dijalankan.

Musim panas ini, Greece dilanda siri kebakaran hutan dahsyat yang telah memusnahkan kawasan hutan dan ladang yang luas, memaksa pemindahan penduduk serta menyebabkan kemusnahan besar.-TVS

MADRID: Gelombang haba di Sepanyol tidak menunjukkan tanda-tanda reda apabila suhu terus meningkat sehingga 45 darjah Celsius, menyebabkan 20 kebakaran hutan besar tercetus di seluruh negara.

Keadaan itu menyebabkan 500 lagi anggota tentera dikerah ke lokasi kebakaran, menjadikan seramai 1,900 tentera berada di seluruh negara bagi memadam kebakaran hutan.

Di wilayah Galicia, 12 kebakaran utama mengelilingi bandar Ourense menyaksikan penduduk dipindahkan, rumah terancam dan asap tebal.

Sehubungan itu, pihak berkuasa mengarahkan penduduk setempat memakai pelitup muka dan mengurangkan aktiviti luar.

“Hari-hari mendatang sangat mencabar. Cuaca langsung tidak memihak kepada kita,” kata Perdana Menteri Sepanyol, Pedro Sanchez.

Perkhidmatan kereta api laju Madrid-Galicia juga digantung sementara waktu.

Pihak berkuasa Sepanyol memaklumkan, pesawat bantuan dari Belanda, Perancis, dan Itali kini dalam perjalanan untuk membantu negara ini memadam kebakaran hutan.

Menurut Virginia Barcones, Ketua Perkhidmatan Kecemasan Sepanyol, bantuan dari negara luar sangat diperlukan kerana keadaan semakin teruk setiap hari.

“Keadaan sangat genting. Kami menjangkakan suhu mula menurun pada Selasa, tapi untuk saat ini, semuanya sangat tidak menyebelahi kami,” katanya.

Gelombang haba yang melanda juga menyaksikan kawasan hutan seluas 155,000 hektar musnah terbakar di Portugal tahun ini.

Jumlah itu tiga kali ganda berbanding purata biasa dengan lapan lagi kebakaran hutan masih marak di kawasan pelancongan.

Kebakaran bukan hanya ‘membakar’ Sepanyol dan Portugal. Greece, Bulgaria, Montenegro dan Albania turut menghantar permintaan rasmi kepada pasukan pemadam kebakaran Kesatuan Eropah (EU).

Di Turkiye, 19 kematian dicatatkan akibat kebakaran. Pada Ahad, kerajaan memindahkan kawasan bersejarah Gallipoli selepas api mula menghampiri kawasan penempatan dengan enam kampung dipindahkan.

NEW DELHI: Torrential rains disrupted daily life in India’s financial hub Mumbai on Monday, forcing school closures and causing traffic snarls on waterlogged roads.

India’s weather department issued an alert for more heavy rains in the city and many coastal districts in the western state of Maharashtra.

Waterlogging was reported in many parts of the city and its suburban areas, with commuters facing disruption in train and bus services.

Airlines advised travellers to set out earlier than usual to ensure they catch their flights.

Police advised Mumbai residents to stay at home due to waterlogging and reduced visibility.

“Please avoid non-essential travel, plan your commute with care, and step out only if necessary,“ the Commissioner of Police for Greater Mumbai said in a post on X.

Schools and colleges were shut in the mega city.

Mumbai recorded 177 mm of rainfall within eight hours, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis told the media on Monday.

Several parts of Maharashtra have experienced heavy downpours over the past two days, with more intense rainfall forecast for the next three days.

“There is either an orange alert or red alert in half of Maharashtra’s districts,“ Fadnavis said.

He added that crops covering 400,000 hectares have been damaged.

Army personnel and disaster response teams rescued more than 200 people in Nanded district, about 600 kilometres from Mumbai, following a cloudburst in the area - BERNAMA