British couple found with severe burns in deadly Spain wildfire

A British couple was found semi-conscious in a ravine near the village of Bedar after being trapped by a wildfire that tore through Almeria province and killed at least 12 people. The pair suffered severe burns over 40% of their bodies, were taken to hospital and placed in intensive care.

Civil Guard officers found the couple in the early hours of Friday after rescuers heard cries for help while searching for survivors. The unnamed pair were visiting Almeria on holiday and were hiking when the flames overtook them as the fire spread rapidly on Thursday afternoon from the municipality of Los Gallardos.

Antonio Sanz, the Andalusian emergency chief, called the blaze "the most devastating fire to date in our region" and described it as an "unprecedented tragedy". The fire raced through a wooded, semi-arid area near the Sierra de Los Filabres mountains as strong winds pushed the flames across dry ground during a severe heatwave affecting southern Europe.

By Saturday, firefighters had made significant progress as calmer winds and higher humidity were expected to help contain the damage. About 600 of nearly 1,500 evacuated residents in Almeria province were allowed to return home, and the fire had already burned about 6,600 hectares, or 16,300 acres.

Regional authorities put the death toll at 12, including four Britons, although the dead had not yet been officially identified. They also put the number missing at 23 and the injured at eight.

The area around Los Gallardos is home to many foreign residents and is popular with British pensioners and holidaymakers. Francisco Miguel Reyes, the mayor of Los Gallardos, said it felt like "a bomb has fallen" on the area as emergency crews continued to search ravines and scorched hillsides for anyone still unaccounted for.