 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Aus fire death toll unlikely to rise much above 200: police
Melbourne (AFP) Feb 18, 2009 The death toll in the worst wildfires in Australia's history is unlikely to rise significantly higher than the 201 already announced, police said Wednesday. In marked contrast to earlier reports that the toll could go as high as 300, Deputy Commissioner Keiran Walshe said police believed the bodies of people listed as missing had been located. "At this point in time we are relatively comfortable all those unaccounted for have now been accounted for -- their remains have been located," Walshe told reporters. The toll would probably rise as police searched through the charred rubble of houses and towns for at least another week but the increase was unlikely to be significant, the national AAP news agency quoted him as saying. The official toll of 201 includes a firefighter who was killed Tuesday by a falling tree near the town of Marysville, which was almost completely destroyed. The wildfires swept through the southeastern state of Victoria on February 7, driven by hot winds and record temperatures that had left the countryside as dry as tinder, destroying about 1,800 houses. More than 3,000 firefighters were thrown into battle against the fires and have managed to prevent further losses, but they were still working on five blazes burning out of control on Wednesday. A national day of mourning for the victims will be held on Sunday. Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links Bringing Order To A World Of Disasters A world of storm and tempest When the Earth Quakes
300 hurt in Bolivia landslide
La Paz (AFP) Feb 17, 2009At least 300 people have been injured in the Bolivian city of La Paz following a serious mudslide, Mayor Juan del Granado said Tuesday. |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2007 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
YahooMyWeb
Google
Facebook