Two injured in Albergaria-a-Velha fire die from injuries today
The Secretary of State for the Environment is meeting today in Albergaria-a-Velha with mayors of the Aveiro district – one of the worst affected by last week’s fires – on the day that the death toll has been updated to nine.
A woman in her 80s, admitted to hospital during the fires because of injuries sustained, died in the early hours of this morning, followed by a man – also being treated in hospital since the fires.
This takes Albergaria-a-Velha’s death toll to four (the first two involved a firefighter who suffered a sudden death after hours of intense combat, and a young forestry worker caught by advancing flames).
As the death toll has been updated, so too has the tally of injuries, to 177.
Meantime, this meeting today will discuss, among other issues, support for municipalities affected by the fires – and measures that will need to be taken to avoid problems when it starts raining (which it is forecast to do, heavily, from tomorrow).
Speaking to SIC, Mayor of Águeda, Jorge Almeida, said that over the last few days the municipality has been working to understand what it can do now to “minimise the impact of the ash that is likely to reach the Vouga river catchments.
“If it rains a lot tomorrow (Tuesday), this will all be perfectly inglorious”, he said. “But let’s hope not. I think São Pedro is our friend” (São Pedro being the patron saint of fishermen, locksmiths, builders/stonemasons, ship builders, sailors, shoemakers, those with foot ailments and, apparently, also the weather…)
Recalling that the prime minister has promised a ‘very heavy hand’ for arsonists this year, the man already in preventive custody, suspected of having started this fire (and others before it), may end up facing various charges of negligent homicide. ND
