Regional leader Juanma Moreno has confirmed that at least eleven individuals lost their lives while nineteen others remain missing after a wildfire swept through southern Spain.

A separate official noted preliminary findings that four of those who died may hold British citizenship.

Fire crews numbering in the hundreds continue efforts to control the blaze, which Moreno attributed to a fallen power line that ignited woodland near Los Gallardos in Almeria.

Prolonged high temperatures near 40C have fueled numerous wildfires throughout southern Europe during the current summer season.

Emergency teams have confronted serious outbreaks in France, Portugal and Spain, prompting the evacuation of thousands of residents from affected zones.

The eleven bodies were discovered within and around the village of Bedar, located adjacent to Los Gallardos.

Andalusia health and emergencies minister Antonio Sanz described the fire as fast-moving and difficult to manage, adding that most or all victims could be foreign nationals. An initial count of twelve deaths was later revised as provisional.

Sanz reported that four victims were trapped inside a vehicle with a right-hand drive, suggesting British origin, while others appeared to have perished while fleeing the advancing flames.

The UK Foreign Office has been notified by BBC News.

Juanma Moreno called the loss of life a profound tragedy and cautioned that the final toll might increase substantially, expressing collective grief on social media.

Two individuals required hospital care, one for smoke inhalation and another for burns, while four more received on-site treatment for minor injuries and breathing difficulties from dense smoke.

The incident caused several road closures and forced the evacuation of around one thousand local residents, emergency services confirmed.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced in May plans for Spain largest summer wildfire response to date, according to local reports.

The Military Emergency Unit has been mobilized to assist containment operations in Los Gallardos.

June brought Spain highest average daily temperatures since 1950, including record monthly peaks, with forecasts reaching 42C in parts of the country.

Spain recorded 393000 hectares burned last year, exceeding six times the average from 2006 to 2024 per European Forest Fire Information System data.

Rising global temperatures linked to climate change have made Europe the fastest-warming continent at twice the worldwide rate, according to Copernicus climate service figures.

These conditions have intensified summer heatwaves, strained water resources and produced more severe wildfires across the region.

The European Union experienced its most destructive wildfire season on record in 2023, with over one million hectares burned, matching roughly half the area of Wales.

A separate analysis by the World Weather Attribution group at Imperial College London directly connected the intensified Mediterranean fire season to climate change.

Specialists predict that more frequent and intense fires will persist across Europe in coming years.