Four Britons believed to be among 11 dead after wildfire in Spain

Another 19 people remain unaccounted for

Around 150 firefighters are battling to put out a severe wildfire which has left almost a dozen people dead and another 19 unaccounted for.

Four of the people are believed to be British after they died in one car which had a steering wheel on the right-hand side, as per authorities.

The fire broke out early on Friday morning in a hamlet in a semi-arid area near the Sierra de Los Filabres mountains in the Andalusia region of Spain.

It has been described as "the most devastating fire to date in our region" by Antonio Sanz Cabello, president of the Andalusian emergency agency.

He added that the situation ​was an "unprecedented tragedy".

The wildfire spread fast in a wooded area around the town of Los Gallardos, a municipality of Almeria.

Cabello said that authorities told residents to stay in their homes and added that the deaths seemed to have happened as people tried to leave their vehicles.

Concerning the four people who died in the same right-hand drive car, he said that "everything seems to indicate that they're from Britain".

Seven others were found dead after seemingly leaving their cars to try and escape on a path that was not part of the evacuation plan.

Andalusia's regional ‌leader Juanma Moreno told ‌Cadena Ser radio that 19 people remain unaccounted for.

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has also spoken out on the fire, offering his condolences to the families of victims.

In a post on X, he said: "Immense sadness and desolation in the face of the terrible consequences of the fire affecting the province of Almería.

"I want to convey my condolences to the families of those who died in the Los Gallardos forest fire. My wishes for a speedy recovery to the injured and my solidarity with all the affected neighbours."

He added that emergency services, security forces and the military had been mobilised to combat the blaze and urged residents to exercise ⁠caution.

This incident comes just a few days after another serious wildfire in southern France which saw the evacuation of over 10,000 people from two small towns near the Spanish border.

Western Europe in general has been experiencing severe heatwaves since May, drying out land and making areas vulnerable to wildfire as Europe continues to warm at twice the global average, as per the World Meteorological ​Organisation.