Wildfire kills at least 11 in southern Spain - as 19 others remain unaccounted for

A wildfire in southern Spain has killed at least 11 people - as another 19 remain unaccounted for.

Around 150 firefighters battled to put out the blaze in the early hours of Friday morning, emergency services in the Andalusia region have said.

It was the deadliest wildfire in the country for more than two decades.

Minister of the presidency, health, and emergencies ​Antonio Sanz Cabello described it as "the most ‌devastating fire to date in our region", and said the situation ​was an "unprecedented tragedy".

The blaze had spread extremely quickly in a wooded area around the town of Los Gallardos, a municipality of the Almeria province in Andalusia. It particularly affected the nearby hamlet of Bedar.

Mr Cabello said authorities had told residents to stay in ‌their homes and that the deaths appeared to have occurred when people decided to try to evacuate in their vehicles.

Four people died in one car, he said, and they appeared to be British as the steering wheel was on the right-hand side.

Mr Cabello said that "everything seems to indicate that they're from Britain".

He said seven others were found dead ​after apparently abandoning their cars and attempting to escape on foot along a ⁠route that was not part of the ⁠evacuation plan.

‌Nineteen people remain unaccounted ‌for as ​emergency services continue the search and ​rescue ⁠operations, Andalusia's regional ‌leader Juanma Moreno told ‌Cadena Ser radio.

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said he felt "enormous sadness" over the fire, offering his condolences to the ​families of those killed.

In a post on X, he said emergency services, security forces and the military had been mobilised to combat the blaze and urged residents to exercise ⁠caution.

It comes after a wildfire ⁠in southern France earlier this week forced the ​evacuation of more than 10,000 people from two ​dozen small towns and villages near ​the Spanish border.

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Early summer heatwaves across western Europe ⁠in May and June have parched vast areas of land, making them particularly vulnerable to wildfires this ⁠year.

Europe is warming at more ​than twice the global average, the World Meteorological ​Organisation has said, making prolonged heat episodes increasingly likely.

(c) Sky News 2026: Wildfire kills at least 11 in southern Spain - as 19 others remain unaccounted for