A British couple on holiday in Spain have been discovered badly burned and semi-conscious in a ravine, caught in the devastating wildfires that have swept through the country's Almería province. The pair, who are believed to have been hiking when the blaze engulfed the area, were found by Guardia Civil officers on Thursday near Bédar, one of the worst-hit communities. They were subsequently airlifted to hospital in a two-hour rescue operation.
The couple remain in intensive care, suffering from severe burns covering 40% of their bodies. Sergeant Pedro Barre, one of the officers involved in the search, recounted hearing a sound which initially seemed like an echo but prompted a closer inspection. He, along with officer Rafael Zea, highlighted the immense effort the couple made to be heard in their critical state. This discovery comes amid a tragic toll from the wildfires, which have so far claimed 12 lives and incinerated more than 6,000 hectares (14,800 acres) of land, with at least 23 people still reported missing.
Firefighters began to gain control of the flames on Saturday afternoon as high winds subsided, and by Sunday, Juan Manuel Moreno Bonilla, the head of Andalusia's regional government, confirmed the fire had been contained and its perimeter secured. The extensive blaze necessitated the evacuation of at least 1,400 people from their homes and involved over 500 firefighters and emergency workers.
Forensic scientists in Madrid are now working to identify the victims, using samples from the bodies and DNA provided by the families of those reported missing. Most of the fatalities are believed to be British and Belgian nationals, alongside one Spanish citizen. Officials have described the landscape damage as resembling a scene where "a bomb has gone off," underscoring the severity of one of Spain's deadliest wildfires in history.
Mr Bonilla attributed the intensity of the blaze to a combination of dry weather, high winds, and several heatwaves, all exacerbated by the ongoing climate crisis. He described the region as a "ticking timebomb" for such a catastrophic event, highlighting the increasing vulnerability of southern European regions to extreme weather conditions.