12 killed in southern Spain wildfire

MADRID -- Twelve people were killed in a major wildfire that broke out on Thursday afternoon in Los Gallardos, in Almeria province of Spain's southern Andalusia region, according to the local emergency service.

Andalusia's 112 Emergency Service said it received the first reports of the fire at around 5:00 pm local time (1500 GMT) on Thursday. Fanned by high temperatures, low humidity and strong winds, the wildfire spread rapidly into the neighboring municipality of Bedar. The regional government activated Level 1 of the Andalusian Forest Fire Emergency Plan (Plan INFOCA), evacuated Bedar and several nearby communities, and temporarily closed sections of the A-7 freeway and the N-340A road.

According to an official statement, some of the victims were found inside vehicles that had been engulfed by flames.

Firefighting operations continued overnight, with INFOCA deploying ground crews, firefighting aircraft and helicopters to contain the blaze.

Judicial authorities have opened an investigation to determine the cause of the fire and formally identify the victims, while emergency services remain on alert as firefighting efforts continue.