At least 11 people have been killed and 19 others remain missing after a fast-moving wildfire swept through a village in Spain’s Andalusia region, authorities said on Friday.
Emergency officials said many of the victims are believed to be foreign tourists visiting Bedar, a village in the Los Gallardos district, although efforts to confirm their identities are ongoing.
Andalusia’s Minister for Emergencies, Antonio Sanz, described the blaze as a “very complex” and rapidly spreading wildfire that tore through rugged terrain and forested residential areas.
“At the moment, we have confirmed that 11 people have lost their lives in the Los Gallardos fire. There are no words for such grief,” Sanz said in a video posted on X.
He added that preliminary findings suggest most, if not all, of the victims were foreign nationals. Four of those killed were found inside a right-hand-drive vehicle, indicating they could be British, although authorities said their identities had yet to be confirmed.
Eight people were injured in the disaster, including four who sustained serious injuries. The wildfire has also destroyed about 3,150 hectares of forest and farmland.
Juan Manuel Moreno Bonilla, President of the Andalusia regional government, said 19 people were still unaccounted for.
Regional authorities said emergency services received more than 150 calls reporting the blaze, with flames visible from a major highway near the affected village. Witnesses told officials that the fire may have started after a power line fell, igniting dry vegetation before spreading rapidly through nearby woodland.
The wildfire forced road closures and the evacuation of residents, with about 150 people taking shelter in a local cultural centre. Spain’s Military Emergency Unit (UME) was deployed to support firefighters battling the inferno.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez expressed his condolences, saying he was “deeply saddened and devastated” by the tragedy.
The wildfire comes as Spain endures another intense heatwave, with temperatures forecast to reach 40°C in parts of the country. Orange weather warnings remain in effect across sections of Andalusia as soaring temperatures and dry conditions continue to heighten wildfire risks.
Spain has experienced increasingly severe heatwaves and wildfires in recent years. The national weather agency, AEMET, said the country recorded its third-warmest year on record in 2025, with 25 daily temperature records broken.
France is also battling major wildfires, with a blaze in the southeastern Drome region burning for 10 days and consuming about 3,700 hectares of land.
