At least 11 people were killed and 19 remain missing after a fast-moving wildfire swept through southern Spain's Almeria province,.
Most victims believed to be foreign nationals.
The wildfire is among Spain's deadliest in two decades.
At least 11 people were killed and 19 remained missing after a fast-moving wildfire swept through southern Spain, with firefighters on Friday continuing efforts to contain one of the country's deadliest blazes on record.
Most of those killed were believed to be foreign nationals who ignored official instructions to shelter in place and instead attempted to flee by car as flames rapidly engulfed the wooded area around the town of Los Gallardos in Almeria province, according to Antonio Sanz, head of emergencies in Spain's Andalusia region.
One of the victims was Spanish, while the remaining fatalities appeared to be foreign nationals, Sanz said. Four people, believed to be British because their vehicle had a right-hand steering wheel, died inside a car. Seven others were found dead after abandoning their vehicles and attempting to escape on foot along a route that was not part of the official evacuation plan.
"The consequences have been terrible. Everything seems to indicate that, in the case of the dead, the majority - or all of them - are foreign nationals," Sanz said.
The area, a popular holiday destination, is home to a large foreign community, particularly French, British and Belgian residents.
The tragedy echoed Portugal's deadly 2017 wildfire, when more than 60 people were killed during a heatwave, many of them trapped in their vehicles while trying to escape advancing flames.
The blaze comes amid an unusually early start to Spain's wildfire season, driven by successive summer heatwaves that have left vegetation tinder dry. Around 57,000 hectares (140,850 acres) have burned so far this year—about half the country's annual average over the past two decades and nearly 40% of the total area burned across the European Union, according to the European Forest Fire Information System.
Spain suffered its worst wildfire season in three decades last year, when record heat scorched about 330,000 hectares—an area roughly twice the size of London.
"We usually don't see these fires until August. They're starting earlier now because the vegetation dries out sooner," forest firefighter Roman Garcia told state broadcaster TVE.
Authorities continued efforts to identify the victims and locate those missing, as relatives posted appeals on social media and local forums seeking information. One woman said her daughter, travelling with her dog in a red Ford Fiesta, had disappeared. Another person from the United States said her brother was among a group of 10 people who had tried to escape through a valley beside a stream, sharing coordinates and asking emergency services to search the area.
Pedro Ridao, mayor of the nearby town of Antas, said the fire was initially believed to have started after a power cable fell onto dry scrubland. However, electricity provider Endesa later ruled out that possibility after technicians found the cable was not carrying any voltage.
"It was mainly the wind that was blowing in the afternoon that caused it to spread. As the afternoon wore on, we could see the fire was racing ahead, devouring farmhouses, holiday homes and cars, so we sprang into action," Ridao said.
Spain Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez expressed "enormous sadness and devastation" and offered his condolences to the victims' families.
The death toll makes it Spain's deadliest wildfire since 2005, when 11 firefighters were killed in a blaze in Guadalajara that was sparked by a barbecue, prompting sweeping reforms to the country's wildfire prevention and emergency response systems.
(inputs from Reuters)
