Hundreds of firefighters battled a devastating “Armageddon-like” blaze for a second day in Australia yesterday that has left two dead and at least 13 in hospital, with grave fears the death toll will rise.
Cooler conditions and lighter winds aided crews as dawn broke with the bushfire not increasing in size, although South Australia State Premier Jay Weatherill said it would be days before it was fully brought under control.
“Even though a significant proportion of the fire perimeter is under control and the conditions were milder overnight, many fire fronts are still active within the fire grounds and they’ll continue to be battled for some days,” he said.
Photo: EPA
The premier late on Wednesday said two people had died in the inferno around the town of Pinery, about 70km north of Adelaide.
Unconfirmed reports said three people were missing.
“Obviously, we have had the awful news of the tragic death of at least two people and we hold grave fears for many more,” Weatherill said. “We can’t be entirely sure that we have identified every single person within the fire ground. That work will continue this morning as we carry out a more detailed search of the fire area.”
He added that 13 people were in hospital with five in either a critical or serious condition with significant burns.
South Australia Health later tweeted that it had taken 15 people to hospital for burns, smoke inhalation and minor injuries.
“We know that one of those people has burns to more than 80 percent of their body. Their condition is being closely monitored, but we do hold grave concerns for them,” Weatherill said.
The blaze incinerated at least 16 homes, as well as outbuildings, farm machinery and vehicles as it raged across a 40km front, driven by strong, swirling winds late on Wednesday, he added.
Livestock was also lost with reports that thousands of chickens and pigs were killed.
Country Fire Service chief officer Greg Nettleton said it might still be early in the fire season, but the land in South Australia was incredibly dry and only long, soaking rain would cut the fire risk.
“Until we get really substantial rainfall across the state, we’re in a dangerous fire situation for the summer,” he said.
Brendan Moten described how the sky darkened with ash as he fled his rural property and sought safety in the town of Kapunda as the fire raged around him and his family.
“A lot of people were gathered in the main street and there was smoke and ash and it was Armageddon for a while,” he told reporters. “I feel lucky. Our place was under threat for a while... It was heading our way, but it didn’t get there. It went around.”
The fire has hit rural communities in the area hard, with about 90,000 hectares of land destroyed and crops ruined.
“There’s nothing left, it’s absolutely devastation,” grain farmer Peter March told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. “This is my 59th harvest and I’ve never seen anything like it before.”
A new online voting system aimed at boosting turnout among the Philippines’ millions of overseas workers ahead of Monday’s mid-term elections has been marked by confusion and fears of disenfranchisement. Thousands of overseas Filipino workers have already cast their ballots in the race dominated by a bitter feud between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and his impeached vice president, Sara Duterte. While official turnout figures are not yet publicly available, data from the Philippine Commission on Elections (COMELEC) showed that at least 134,000 of the 1.22 million registered overseas voters have signed up for the new online system, which opened on April 13. However,
EUROPEAN FUTURE? Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama says only he could secure EU membership, but challenges remain in dealing with corruption and a brain drain Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama seeks to win an unprecedented fourth term, pledging to finally take the country into the EU and turn it into a hot tourist destination with some help from the Trump family. The artist-turned-politician has been pitching Albania as a trendy coastal destination, which has helped to drive up tourism arrivals to a record 11 million last year. US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also joined in the rush, pledging to invest US$1.4 billion to turn a largely deserted island into a luxurious getaway. Rama is expected to win another term after yesterday’s vote. The vote would
ALLIES: Calling Putin his ‘old friend,’ Xi said Beijing stood alongside Russia ‘in the face of the international counter-current of unilateralism and hegemonic bullying’ Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) yesterday was in Moscow for a state visit ahead of the Kremlin’s grand Victory Day celebrations, as Ukraine accused Russia’s army of launching air strikes just hours into a supposed truce. More than 20 foreign leaders were in Russia to attend a vast military parade today marking 80 years since the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, taking place three years into Russia’s offensive in Ukraine. Putin ordered troops into Ukraine in February 2022 and has marshaled the memory of Soviet victory against Nazi Germany to justify his campaign and rally society behind the offensive,
CONFLICTING REPORTS: Beijing said it was ‘not familiar with the matter’ when asked if Chinese jets were used in the conflict, after Pakistan’s foreign minister said they were The Pakistan Army yesterday said it shot down 25 Indian drones, a day after the worst violence between the nuclear-armed rivals in two decades. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif vowed to retaliate after India launched deadly missile strikes on Wednesday morning, escalating days of gunfire along their border. At least 45 deaths were reported from both sides following Wednesday’s violence, including children. Pakistan’s military said in a statement yesterday that it had “so far shot down 25 Israeli-made Harop drones” at multiple location across the country. “Last night, India showed another act of aggression by sending drones to multiple locations,” Pakistan military spokesman Ahmed
RSS