Seven Brits among 13 killed in deadly southern Spain wildfires
Officials said the victims included seven people from the UK, three from Belgium, one from France and one from the United States
Seven British nationals were among the 13 people killed in the wildfires that tore through southern Spain, authorities have confirmed.
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Spanish officials said 12 of the 13 victims were foreign nationals, following post-mortem examinations completed on Tuesday, according to local media and Agence France-Presse.
The fire swept through Almería province on Thursday and has become one of the deadliest wildfires in Spain in recent years.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office had earlier said it was “supporting British nationals affected and their families and remain in close contact with the Spanish authorities”.
Officials said the victims included seven people from the UK, three from Belgium, one from France and one from the United States.
The final victim was a Spanish citizen.
In a statement, the public body responsible for identifying the dead said: “The 13 people who died are eight women and five men, all adults.”
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Among the British victims were Pete and Fran Gillam, who lived in Bédar, the village worst affected by the fire.
Their daughter, Danielle Gillam-Kirton, from Sheffield, wrote on Facebook that the family were “heartbroken to share that we have received confirmation from the police that Mum and Dad did not survive the fire”.
Almost 1,500 people were evacuated from Almería province as firefighters worked to bring the blaze under control.
One survivor, Malcolm Timbrell, 70, from Bédar, spoke to the BBC outside his destroyed home.
His wife and friends are believed to be among those killed.
He described how he became separated from the group and took shelter in abandoned vehicles.
Timbrell said: “Of the six cars, four of them instantly combusted and as each one started to go, I moved back one car.
"For some reason of fate, the last two cars, although very, very badly singed and paint bubbled and burnt, survived.
“And I survived inside the last one with a cat.”
The fire has now been contained after burning through around 7,000 hectares of land.
Spain has faced increasingly frequent and severe heatwaves in recent years, with temperatures often rising above 40C.