Australian bushfire death toll hits 200

Source: Agencies | February 17, 2009, Tuesday |

Online Edition

THE death toll in Australia's deadliest bushfires reached 200 today as police continued to search through ash and rubble of several razed towns in the southern state of Victoria.

Australia has launched its biggest arson investigation into the fires, fanned by a heatwave and strong winds, which swept through towns north of Melbourne on Feb. 7.

"The toll has risen from 189 to 200," a police spokeswoman said, but declined to give any more detail of where bodies of more victims were found.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has described the fires, with at least one deliberately lit, as "mass murder". A man has been charged with "arson causing death" over one of the deadly bushfires, which killed 21 people.

In Victoria, arson carries a jail term of two to 15 years, and 25 years if there's loss of life.

The bushfire tragedy is the worst natural disaster in Australia in 110 years. The previous worst bushfire was the Ash Wednesday fires of 1983 which killed 75 people.

World

About Us
|
Terms of Use
|
RSS
|
Privacy Policy
|
Contact Us
|
Shanghai Call Center: 962288
|
Tip-off hotline: 52920043

沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
|
互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
|
网络视听许可证：0909346
|
广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
|
增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012

Australian bushfire death toll hits 200

Email this to your friend