One person has died, dozens have been injured and more than 1,200 others have been forced from their homes after intense wildfires hit Croatia in recent hours. The latest toll comes from the authorities, while the situation in the hardest-hit areas remains severe.
Preliminary toll from the affected areas
According to official data, one person was found dead in one of the areas engulfed by the flames. More than 40 people have been taken to hospital with burns and breathing problems.
Seven of the injured are reported to be in serious condition, making the emergency created by the fires even more severe.
More than 1,200 evacuated in Lokva Rogoznica and Omis
Authorities have so far evacuated more than 1,200 people from two of the hardest-hit areas, Lokva Rogoznica and Omis.
Among those evacuated was a group of Hungarian tourists. According to Hungary’s Foreign Ministry, four of them were injured and two required hospital treatment.
Large-scale response on the ground, but risk remains high
Hundreds of firefighters and Canadair aircraft are continuing operations in Croatia’s coastal area to bring the flames under control.
However, the scale of the fires and conditions on the ground show that the operation remains difficult, despite the engagement of emergency forces.
Warning of even more extreme weather in Europe
The European Union’s climate service has warned of even more extreme weather conditions in the coming days.
According to forecasts, the heatwave in Central and Eastern Europe, as well as southern Britain, Ireland, northern France and southern Sweden, is expected to last until August 19.
Developments in Croatia are bringing back into focus the impact of prolonged heatwaves and the vulnerability of coastal areas to large-scale wildfires.
So far, the official toll stands at one death, dozens of injuries and thousands of people removed from danger zones.