Fire in Israel claims 40 lives
A huge forest fire has claimed the lives of more than 40 people and caused dozens of wounded in northern Israel.
Hundreds of citizens have been evacuated from the area, after fire ignited in the surroundings of Mount Carmel, a coastal mountain chain close to the seaside city of Haifa.
Among the victims, reported a national radio this morning, are a group of Palestinian prisoners who were being evacuated from a nearby jail. The coach that was transporting them apparently skidded on the road and was then buried by the flames.
“We can confirm that a coach got stuck in the flames and several people have died,” said Miky Rosenfeld, spokesperson for the Israeli police. He added that rescue teams are working desperately to contain the flames and to look for survivors.
The fire has covered an area of almost 2000 hectares so far, while emergency teams are struggling to keep the flames at bay.
“The fire spread quickly due to the strong winds in the area. But the winds are blowing towards the sea, which means that there is no real danger for the villages that are on the other side,” said a police chief in the Haifa district to Radio Israel.
It is also proving difficult to contain the fire, the largest in Israel for several years, because of the area’s vegetation. Pine, olive and laurel trees are all woods that burn very quickly, and close to the Mount Carmel, where the fire started, there are wide valleys used for agriculture.
The alarm has been raised also in some districts of the seaside city of Haifa, and in the university area, where the Israeli authorities have warned people not to leave their homes.
(Read the full article on The Fresh Outlook)
Nov 2010
Hundreds of citizens have been evacuated from the area, after fire ignited in the surroundings of Mount Carmel, a coastal mountain chain close to the seaside city of Haifa.
Among the victims, reported a national radio this morning, are a group of Palestinian prisoners who were being evacuated from a nearby jail. The coach that was transporting them apparently skidded on the road and was then buried by the flames.
“We can confirm that a coach got stuck in the flames and several people have died,” said Miky Rosenfeld, spokesperson for the Israeli police. He added that rescue teams are working desperately to contain the flames and to look for survivors.
The fire has covered an area of almost 2000 hectares so far, while emergency teams are struggling to keep the flames at bay.
“The fire spread quickly due to the strong winds in the area. But the winds are blowing towards the sea, which means that there is no real danger for the villages that are on the other side,” said a police chief in the Haifa district to Radio Israel.
It is also proving difficult to contain the fire, the largest in Israel for several years, because of the area’s vegetation. Pine, olive and laurel trees are all woods that burn very quickly, and close to the Mount Carmel, where the fire started, there are wide valleys used for agriculture.
The alarm has been raised also in some districts of the seaside city of Haifa, and in the university area, where the Israeli authorities have warned people not to leave their homes.
(Read the full article on The Fresh Outlook)
Nov 2010