61 killed, 59 injured in Portuguese wildfire

A forest fire in Portugal has killed 61 people and injured at least 59 more, officials said Sunday. The wildfire is raging near Pedrogao Grande, a small town in central Portugal, north of Lisbon. Among the injured are four firefighters and a child who has been hospitalized in serious condition.

This is "the biggest tragedy of human life that we have known in years," Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa said Sunday. "The violence of this fire was such that I am certain many people have died," said Pedrogao Grande's municipal president, Valdemar Alves. "I am shocked with this death toll."

The fire is believed to have started when lightning struck a forest made dry by Portugal's summer heat. Many of the victims died because they were trapped in their cars when the fire swept across a road.

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This post has been updated throughout.