Death toll from Portuguese fires rises to seven, more than 50 injured

Seven people have lost their lives in more than 20 forest fires raging in Portugal since Sunday, with the number of injured at more than 50, according to the latest count from the civil protection agency ANEPC, the Lusa news agency reported on Tuesday.

More than 5,300 firefighters, members of the civil defence force and soldiers are fighting the blazes, mainly in the north and centre of the country, the agency said. A total of 21 firefighting aircraft and helicopters are also said to be in use.

"It's like the end of the world," one woman affected by the disaster told the TV channel CNN Portugal.

EU partners send rapid assistance

Eight firefighting aircraft sent by EU partners in response to a call for help from Lisbon on Monday assisted with the extinguishing work, with two planes each coming from Spain, Italy, France and Greece. The forest-fire alarm, which was originally set to expire on Tuesday, has been extended until Thursday evening.

"We will have a hard time in the next few days. We have to prepare for it," warned Prime Minister Luís Montenegro.

Portugal had been spared major forest fires this year, but within around 48 hours, more than 62,000 hectares of nature has now been affected, Lusa reported, citing the European Earth observation system Copernicus.

While there were fires in many places, the Aveiro district, some 50 kilometres south of Porto, was the worst affected.

All seven fatalities were recorded there: the bodies of three firefighters were recovered in Tábua in the district of Coimbra. Their vehicle was caught in the flames on a forest road, according to Mayor Ricardo Cruz.

The three occupants - two women and a man - were all burnt to death, he said. Previously, a firefighter and three civilians had lost their lives in the regions of Aveiro and Viseu.

According to official figures, around four dozen buildings and countless vehicles were destroyed by the blaze in Albergaria-a-Velha, Sever do Vouga and other municipalities in the Aveiro region. More than 100 people were evacuated, according to reports.

Four people were detained on suspicion of arson. It is not yet known whether the arrests are related to the current major fires.

Several motorways and some country roads were still partially closed on Tuesday. Train and long-distance bus services were severely disrupted.

The smoke darkened the sky over the district capital Aveiro and other communities. Citizens were urged to stay at home and use as little water as possible.