Deaths in Cyprus bring overall toll on the eastern Mediterranean island and neighbouring Turkey to 12
Two people have been killed in a huge blaze in Cyprus, bringing the death toll from a series of wildfires on the eastern Mediterranean island and in neighbouring Turkey to 12 amid a brutal heatwave that has pushed temperatures to more than 44C (111F).
Police said two charred bodies were found on Thursday in a burnt-out car that had been caught up in the Cyprus blaze, which began outside Limassol on Wednesday and, fanned by strong winds, rapidly engulfed a string of mountain villages north of the city.
The fires, described as the worst on the island in more than half a century, devastated large tracts of southern Cyprus, injuring dozens of people and displacing hundreds. An estimated 250 firefighters battled to contain blazes raging on multiple fronts.
The government spokesperson, Konstantinos Letymbiotis, said the state “expresses its deep sorrow … over the unjust loss of two of our fellow citizens”, adding that what was happening on the island was unprecedented.
