Italy's president Sergio Mattarella has sent a message of condolence to his Portuguese counterpart Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa over the wildfires that have ravaged central and northern Portugual since Sunday, urging more international efforts to fight the climate emergency.
"I have followed with deep sadness the news of the fires that have hit central and northern Portugal in recent days, causing deaths and devastation" read Mattarella's statement.
At least five people including a firefighter have been killed in the blazes over the past four days which have ravaged over 106,000 hectares, according the European Union's space programme Earth Observation Unit, Copernicus.
"As we appropriately underlined together a declaration of August 2023, fires represent one of those extreme phenomena, which, unfortunately, are increasingly frequent and are determined by a climate emergency that must be fought by all means," Mattarella underlined.
"In these dramatic circumstancee, dear President and friend, Italy offers its sincere closeness to you in its condolences for the victims," the statement continued.
"Our thoughts go to their families, to the injured - to whom we wish a speedy recovery - and to those involved in the rescue operations."
United Nations chief Antonio Guterres also blamed the global climate emergency for the fires in Portugal and flooding in Central Europe and in Nigeria.
"From floods in Central Europe to wildfires in Portugal, weather extremes are leaving a deadly trail of destruction across Europe," Guterres wrote Wednesday on X (formerly Twitter).
"We need #ClimateAction that matches the scale & urgency of the crisis," Guterres concluded.
