À Chypre, un incendie “cauchemardesque” ravage le centre de l’île
05/07/2021 - 05:53
Un incendie visible depuis le village d’Ora, à Chypre, le 3 juillet 2021. Crédits : ANDREA ANASTASIOU/via REUTERS.
Un énorme incendie a détruit des pans entiers du massif forestier du Troodos et coûté la vie à quatre personnes au cours du week-end. Cette catastrophe a été favorisée par des températures caniculaires ces derniers jours et une importante sécheresse, que les experts attribuent en partie au réchauffement climatique.
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C’est l’une des pires catastrophes de l’histoire récente de l’île méditerranéenne. Au cours du week-end, un gigantesque incendie a réduit en cendres des pans entiers du massif forestier du Troodos, à Chypre, coûtant la vie à quatre personnes, avant d’être quasiment maîtrisé dimanche.
BBC News
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media captionWatch as firefighters race to prevent the blaze from spreading
Cyprus has appealed for international help to tackle a huge wildfire described by officials as the worst in the country s history.
The blaze, fanned by strong winds, is spreading through the southern Limassol district and has forced the evacuation of several villages.
Dozens of properties have been damaged but no casualties have been reported.
Cyprus has been experiencing a week-long heatwave, with temperatures reaching up to 40C (104F).
Experts say that climate change is expected to increase the frequency of extreme weather events, such as heatwaves. However, linking any single event to global warming is complicated.
Cyprus calls for help in fighting massive forest fire: EU and Israel responding with aircraft The European Union and Israel are sending help to Cyprus as the small Mediterranean island battles a huge forest fire.
The fire is raging north of the cities of Limassol and Larnaca and has affected at least six communities in the foothills of the Troodos mountain range.
The European Commission said two fire-fighting planes were heading to
Cyprus from Greece, and Italy was also planning to send aerial fire-fighters.
There are already four Cypriot planes fighting the fire, but strong winds and temperatures soaring past 40C (104F) are making conditions difficult.