Seven Britons among those killed in Spain wildfires
Image source, Reuters Image caption, The aftermath of wildfires in the AlmerÃa province, in Bedar. By Claire Keenan Published 6 minutes ago Seven Britons were among those killed in the deadly wildfires in southern Spain, authorities have confirmed. Twelve of the 13 victims were foreign nationals, Spanish authorities said on Tuesday after completing post-mortem examinations. The wildfires, which tore through Spain's AlmerÃa province on Thursday, have become one of the country's deadliest. A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office previously said it was "supporting British nationals affected and their families and remain in close contact with the Spanish authorities". To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. This video can not be played Figure caption, âThis landscape is completely charredâ: Inside the town at the centre of Spanish wildfires In a statement, officials said seven of the victims were from the United Kingdom, three from Belgium, one from France and another from the United States. The last victim was a Spanish citizen. "The 13 people who died are eight women and five men, all adults," the public body responsible for identifying the victims added. Among the British nationals who died were couple Pete and Fran Gillam, who lived in Bédar, the village that bore the brunt of the wildfires. Their deaths were confirmed by their family. Posting on Facebook, their daughter Danielle Gillam-Kirton, from Sheffield, said the family were "heartbroken to share that we have received confirmation from the police that Mum and Dad did not survive the fire". The fire, which has now been contained, burned through about 7,000 hectares (17,300 acres) of land, authorities said. Spain has suffered frequent and severe heatwaves in recent years, with temperatures often exceeding 40C. Related topics Europe Spain Wildfires More on this story Family 'heartbroken' over parents' wildfire deaths Published 11 hours ago Briton tells of surviving Spain wildfire in car as wife and friends died trying to run to safety Published 1 day ago
Interesting that were focusing on British casualties while ignoring the systemic failure to adequately fund Spanish wildfire prevention. These tragedies are predictable - we need to question why emergency services are chronically under-resourced, not just mourn the victims. The real story here is political neglect, not tourism oversight. #wildfire #emergencyresponse #climatechange
The UKs overseas aid budget could fund Spains fire prevention for years, yet were here debating casualty counts instead of questioning why we outsource our civilized disaster response while our own infrastructure crumbles. True compassion means addressing root causes, not just counting bodies.
Another tragedy exploited for political gain - why arent we blaming climate change instead of innocent tourists? #Wildfires #Spain
Why are we ignoring the systemic failures in Spanish wildfire management while blaming innocent tourists? These deaths could have been prevented with proper infrastructure and emergency response - not just climate doomscrolling.
Another tragedy showing how poorly funded Spains fire prevention actually is - while were debating overseas aid budgets, these communities are left to fend for themselves with inadequate resources. The real question is: why do we outsourced our disaster response when we could be investing in prevention?