Portugal forest fires: at least 62 people died, including 4 children

Four children among 61 killed by deadly Portuguese forest fires with many people 'trapped and burned to death in their cars' as they tried to flee

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At least four children are among the 61 people confirmed as dead in devastating forest fires in Portugal.

One of the youngsters was named locally as four-year-old Rodrigo Rosario, killed with his uncle Sidel Belchior, after their car was engulfed by flames on a country road near the historic university city of Coimbra.

Sidel, 37, was looking after the Lisbon-born boy while his newly-married parents Ana Cardita Rosario and Belchior Nuno were enjoying their honeymoon in Cape Verde.

Rodrigo's grannie broke down in tears as she told a Portuguese TV crew that rescuers had found his charred body by the car after a desperate social media appeal for information on his whereabouts by his anguished mum.

The other children are believed to include a four-year-old girl known only as Bianca who is said to have died as she fled with a relative, and two youngsters aged five and six are thought to have died in their car after they were trapped.

The fires, centred around villages in the muncipality of Pedrogao Grande, were blamed by police on a lightning strike during a dry storm at around 3pm yesterday.

Interior Ministry official Jorge Gomes said 59 people died from the flames and suffocating smoke, while another two people died in a traffic accident related to the fires.

The death toll was expected to rise as firefighters and rescue teams reached areas cut off by the flames.

Many people died in their cars while trying to escape the flames in the Pedrógão Grande area, according to government sources.

Two Britons have been caught up in the P fires, receiving minor burns.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: 'We are in contact with the local authorities regarding the forest fires in central Portugal. We have provided support to a number of British people caught up in the incident and stand ready to support any others who may be affected.'

The two Britons also received treatment for smoke inhalation and have been discharged from hospital.

Foreign Minister Boris Johnson tweeted: 'Horrified to hear of tragic loss of life in Portugal fires. Thoughts and condolences with our Portuguese friends at this time.'

Prime Minister Antonio Costa called the tragedy 'the worst loss of human life we've known in recent years.'

Survivors told last night how they pulled the young and elderly from their homes in dramatic rescues before trying to reach safety themselves.

Ana Morada, one of 200 people who spent the night at a makeshift shelter at a local football club, said: 'It was horrible. I had my grandma on the phone surrounded by flames and begging me for help.

'I managed to contact a relative who got her out. I saw neighbours running from their cars that were burning. The only firm in the area has burnt to the ground. It's a catastrophe.'

Susana Antunes fought back tears as she told Portuguese newspaper Jornal de Noticias: 'We lost our car but fortunately my family and I are all okay.

'Everything went up to flames in 15 minutes. My grandparents had to run out of their house barefoot.'

Maria de Fatima Nunes, who suffered burn injuries, told a TV interviewer: 'It was real hell. I thought it was the end of the world. I didn't think I was going to escape. I thought I was going to die.

'Burning pine trees were crashing down on top of cars. It was horrible.'

Distressing footage broadcast on Portuguese TV today showed a woman being led away from her house, visibly upset and being given water to drink to save her from collapsing as she cried out, 'My house, my house' against a backdrop of thick smoke and flames.

Another graphic image showed a woman sitting by the side of the road with her head in her hands as rescuers around her led other people to safety.

Government ministers said this afternoon that the fires were still being fought on four fronts, with crosswinds threatening to make the job of the hundreds of firefighters tackling the flames even more difficult.

Firefighters from Spain were drafted in to help crews from other parts of Portugal trying to bring the fires under control.

Portugal has declared three days of national mourning from 6pm today for the victims in the blaze 'which has caused an irreparable loss of human life,' according to a government statement.

It is possibly the deadliest ever single forest blaze to hit Portugal.

Of the 59 people injured, four are in a serious condition, and four firefighters and a child are all injured.

Teams of psychologists have been deployed to care for survivors, who are 'in shock' and have lost relatives.

The blaze has been described as 'almost impossible to control' and emergency services have spoken of a 'horrible scenario'.