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Australian bushfires kill 108, dozens more missing
WHITTLESEA, Australia (Reuters) - Australia's deadliest bushfire crisis eased on Monday, but the death toll kept rising with at least 108 people killed as families searched for scores of missing in the twisted, charred ruins. Media reported the death toll could reach 170 as authorities searched hundreds of razed homes some 80 km (50 miles) north of the country's second biggest city of Melbourne.Police believe some of the fires were deliberately lit. "There are no words to describe it other than mass murder," Prime Minister Kevin Rudd told local television. "These numbers (dead) are numbing ... and I fear they will rise further," he added. A massive bushfire tore through several small towns near Melbourne on Saturday night destroying everything in its path. Many people died in cars trying to flee the inferno, others were killed huddled in their homes, yet some miraculously escaped by diving into pools and farm reservoirs or hiding in their cellar. More than 750 houses were destroyed and some 78 people, with serious burns and injuries, are in hospital. Wildfires are a natural annual event in Australia, but this year a combination of scorching weather, drought and tinder-dry bush has created prime conditions for blazes to take hold.
Posted by: Steve White 2009-02-09 |
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