Death toll climbs, anger mounts over Portuguese forest fires
0 Comment(s)
Print
E-mail Xinhua, October 18, 2017
LISBON, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- The number of deaths caused by Portugal's weekend forest fires rose to 41 on Tuesday, according to the National Civil Protection Authority (ANPC), as public anger grows.
Some 523 wild fires flared up on Sunday in Portugal, with the majority and worst of them in the north and center of the country. Besides the fatalities, 71 others are injured, 16 seriously and one is still missing.
With 64 people dead in the wild fire in the Pedrogao Grande area in June, over 100 people have now died from forest fires in Portugal in a few months. Many people are asking how such a tragedy could be allowed to happen twice. The government is being accused by some of having failed to adequately protect its people.
There are calls in some quarters for Constanca Urbano de Sousa, minister of internal administration, to resign. The Central Social Democratic-Popular Party (CDS-PP) has gone further, having announcing it will lead a parliamentary vote of no confidence in the government.
Fellow conservatives, the Social Democratic Party (PSD), with whom the CDS-PP governed in coalition in the previous government, has not formally backed the motion but said it will possibly vote alongside the CDS-PP.
The government has said the fires are because of unusually dry weather.
Prime Minister Antonio Costa has refused to sack his member of cabinet, but added "after this year, nothing will ever be the same again."
The government has also declared three days of national mourning starting from Tuesday and all Portuguese football matches will feature one minute's silence. Enditem
Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)