LISBON, Portugal (Reuters) – Portugal’s president Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa on Sunday (June 18) addressed the nation following a huge forest fire that had raged for two days killing at least 62 people.
De Sousa said the country’s pain had “no measure” and called deadly blaze as a tragedy “without precedent in the history of Portugal’s democracy.”
Local residents said they had been left to their own devices and had seen no firefighters for hours while their homes burned. Others complained about poor forestry reserve planning and depopulation of remote villages, which leaves many wooded areas unattended.
De Sousa visited the affected areas early on Sunday and referred to a “great feeling of injustice” in the country after the tragedy hit people in isolated rural areas
De Sousa said there will be three days of official mourning in the country.