Croatian police discovered the body of a woman in burnt-out scrub on Friday, after a wildfire swept through a coastal area, leaving dozens injured and forcing thousands to flee.
Police in Split said in a statement they located the body on Friday. Media reported that the body had been found in the village of Lokva Rogoznica about 30 kilometres (17 miles) south of Split.
Around 2,000 people had to evacuate overnight from villages around the town of Omis as the fire ripped through surrounding hills. Authorities said dozens of cars had been destroyed amid reports of homes being burnt.
A 34-year-old Bosnian had been declared missing by police, who did not specify whether there was a link to the discovered body.
As access reopened, AFP saw the blackened remains of several cars on roads near the town, some ringed by silver puddles of metal that had melted in the intense heat.
Buildings were also damaged by the blaze, with some structures completely destroyed.
During a visit to the area, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic praised the firefighters’ efforts.
“This fire spread at lightning speed,” he told reporters. “What the firefighters managed to save is truly a miracle.”
Plenkovic pointed out that this was a “very densely populated” region, with a township of 15,000, currently bolstered by 12,000 tourists.
Hospital officials said 40 people had been admitted to Split hospital, including a German and a Polish tourist.
Ten victims were in intensive care, suffering from injuries including severe burns.
The hundreds of firefighters deployed were outpaced by a wildfire that was “one of the worst in Croatia’s history”, the country’s fire chief Slavko Tucakovic told national radio.
“It was frightening even to watch. Many houses, cafes, restaurants, cars, and boats that were on dry land were damaged,” he said.
– Tourists flee –
Hundreds of tourists were among those evacuated to a shelter set up by the Red Cross, Ana Stejskal, the organisation’s director in the town of Omis, told national broadcaster HRT.
Other shelters have been opened in nearby Split and Makarska, the Croatian Fire and Rescue Service said.
“People have a bed, a shower, a toilet, and food, but it’s difficult to predict how long this situation will last,” said Tomislav Gojo, director of the Red Cross in Split.
After four Canadair water bombers were deployed at dawn, authorities said the situation was calmer.
But as conditions eased in Omis, the firefighting aircraft was redeployed to another blaze on the Peljesac Peninsula, about 70 kilometres (43 miles) south, where homes were under threat.
Blazes were also burning in other parts of the Balkans amid soaring temperatures and worsening drought.
Emergency crews in Montenegro have been battling fires along the coast for several days, while fires were reported near Albania’s capital on Thursday.
Temperature records were again beaten earlier this week when Split, about 30 kilometres north of Omis, registered 39.7C.
