A British couple has been hospitalized in intensive care after being discovered with severe burns in a ravine in Spain’s Almeria province. The pair, who are believed to have been hiking, were trapped by fast-moving flames that swept through the region on Thursday. Civil Guard officers located the victims in the early hours of Friday near the village of Bedar after hearing their faint cries for assistance.
Rescuers reported that the couple suffered burns across 40% of their bodies and were found in a semi-conscious state. Sergeant Pedro Barre, one of the officers involved, described the effort to find the pair as a difficult but essential mission. This wildfire is part of a larger disaster that has claimed at least 12 lives, including four British nationals, and consumed 6,600 hectares of land.
Authorities have made progress in controlling the blaze due to improved weather conditions, and some evacuated residents have been cleared to return home. Forensic teams are currently working to identify the victims, a process complicated by the need to gather DNA from family members living abroad. Officials have noted that this event ranks among the most lethal wildfires in the history of Spain.
