The Minister of the Presidency, António Leitão Amaro, said that the Government, “in conjunction with the President of the Republic, decided to declare a day of national mourning, Friday the 20th, to express on behalf of the Portuguese people our deep regret and solidarity with the tragic victims of the major fires that affected Portugal, in the centre and north of the country, during this week”.
The Minister extended his words of regret and solidarity to the families of the victims, their communities and the fire brigades.
“They in particular fell in combat. As their motto says, they gave their lives for our lives in defence of the lives of others, of property, of nature, of our country. We are very grateful for this fight. We feel great sorrow and pain, shared by the Portuguese people, for the loss of human lives caused by these major fires this week”, said Leitão Amaro.
The minister also thanked “all those who are still fighting” and assured the government of a “rapid response in recovery and support for the affected populations, companies, local authorities, fire brigades and all those who suffered most closely from these major fires”.
The last time the Government declared national mourning was on 31 August, in honour of the GNR who died in an accident involving a firefighting helicopter that crashed in the Douro River, in Lamego.
The law of precedence of the Portuguese State Protocol determines that “national mourning is declared for the death of the President of the Republic, the President of the Assembly of the Republic and the Prime Minister, and also for former Presidents of the Republic, as well as for the death of a person or the occurrence of an event of exceptional relevance”.
Seven people died and 161 were injured due to the fires that have been raging since Sunday, mainly in the North and Centre regions of the country, in the districts of Aveiro, Porto, Vila Real, Braga, Viseu and Coimbra, and which have destroyed dozens of houses.
The National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC) has recorded five deaths, excluding from the count two civilians who died of sudden illness.
The area burned in mainland Portugal since Sunday exceeds 121 thousand hectares, according to the European Copernicus system, which shows that in the North and Centre regions, more than 100 thousand hectares have already burned, 83% of the area burned in the entire national territory.
It is absolutely imperative that the people arrested for starting fires are given the maximum force of the law. These people are guilty of murder. Their selfish actions have drastically changed peoples lives forever.
By L from Lisbon on 20 Sep 2024, 11:24
And by next week more eucalyptus will be planted :-(
By Stephen Paul Clarke from Beiras on 20 Sep 2024, 16:47
What really saddens me about these wildfires is that many are caused by arsonists. In other words, they were caused deliberately by humans. What is wrong with these people? What goes on, or fails to go on, in their twisted minds? There is no justification for setting fire to the forests and countryside of Portugal. Theses arsonists are potential murderers because people die because of their actions. The wildfires created by arsonists kill people, pets, livestock, wildlife, trees, and ruin the lives of people who see their homes and livelihoods destroyed. These fires destroy wildlife habitats and must severely endanger already rare and threatened species with small ranges of distribution. Fires can cause extinction.
By Steve Andrews from Other on 21 Sep 2024, 09:38