Twelve of 13 wildfire victims in Spain identified as foreign nationals

A wildfire in Los Gallardos, Almería, Spain, has claimed the lives of thirteen people, with twelve of the victims identified as foreign nationals. The final identifications were confirmed by the Integrated Data Center (CID) and officially communicated to the families after judicial approval.

The deceased include seven citizens from the United Kingdom, three from Belgium, one from France, and one from the United States. The group consisted of eight women and five men, all adults. Twelve individuals died directly at the scene of the fire, while a 93-year-old British woman succumbed to her injuries later at the Torrecárdenas University Hospital in Almería, bringing the total death toll to thirteen.

The scientific identification process relied exclusively on genetic methods due to the circumstances. The Civil Guard's Criminalistics Biology Department obtained profiles from the twelve bodies recovered at the site. The final three identifications were completed with the assistance of biological samples from relatives and coordination with consular authorities from Belgium, the UK, the US, and France.

Families were informed of the identities in person by Guardia Civil officers, accompanied by a psychologist. The CID, a technical body established for multi-victim emergencies, unified all data and reports. This center integrates a forensic office and specialized agents from state security forces to oversee identification efforts.