Spain's wildfires kill at least 12 people, with 23 others missing

MADRID — One of Spain's deadliest wildfires on record killed 12 people overnight into Friday, authorities said, as soaring temperatures grip much of the country.

Several victims of the fire in the southern province of Almeria, a popular holiday destination, were found inside burnt-out vehicles and were thought to have died while trying to flee the flames.

Eight people have been injured and a further 23 are unaccounted for, Andalusia’s regional leader Juan Manuel Moreno said.

Some 150 firefighters and 220 soldiers from Spain’s military emergency unit were battling the blaze, which has consumed more than 3,200 hectares (7,900 acres) of forest and farmland.

Regional emergency authorities said four British nationals and other unspecified foreign nationals appeared to be among the dead.

The fire broke out in a hamlet in a semi-arid area near the Sierra de Los Filabres mountains.

Authorities have not confirmed the cause, but said people who called to report the fire said that a fallen power line had sparked a blaze that spread rapidly into a nearby forest.

Most of the victims died while a ...