Australia

Death toll 130, fires burning in Victoria state

Article published on the 2009-02-09 Latest update 2009-02-09 12:28 TU

The remains of a house and cabins destroyed by bushfires in the town of Wandong, 55 km north of Melbourne, Monday
(Photo: Reuters)

Emergency services are starting to gain access to the fire-affected areas, and some fires are still burning, so the authorities say the death toll is expected to continue to increase further. Police are declaring burnt areas as crime scenes, and investigating the possibility of arson after what Prime Minister Kevin Rudd described as "mass murder".

The death toll from the continuing wildfires in Australia stood at 131 on Monday morning. About 750 houses have been destroyed and thousands of farm animals and wild animals have also died.

In Victoria state, in the southeast corner of the country, 31 fires were still burning.

All bushfires are to be treated as crime scenes, according to Victoria State Police Commissioner Christine Nixon. The police have said that following investigations by fire experts, they suspect arsonists are behind the fire in Churchill (eastern Victoria) .

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has said "there are no words to describe it other than mass murder".

In New South Wales state, two people have already been charged with arson, although the fires they are alleged to have started did not cause any deaths.

People perished both in their homes and in vehicles, as they attempted to flee the fires. The death toll is expected to rise as emergency services start to gain access to affected areas.

The fires have moved over an area of 3,000 square kilometres in conditions prepared by an extended heatwave, where temperatures have risen to over 46°C.