Aus fire death toll unlikely to rise much above 200: police

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

More than 3,000 firefighters were thrown into battle against the fires and have managed to prevent further losses, but they were still working on five blazes burning out of control on Wednesday. Photo courtesy of AFP.

by Staff Writers
Melbourne (AFP) Feb 18, 2009
The death toll in the worst wildfires in Australia's history is unlikely to rise significantly higher than the 201 already announced, police said Wednesday.

In marked contrast to earlier reports that the toll could go as high as 300, Deputy Commissioner Keiran Walshe said police believed the bodies of people listed as missing had been located.

"At this point in time we are relatively comfortable all those unaccounted for have now been accounted for -- their remains have been located," Walshe told reporters.

The toll would probably rise as police searched through the charred rubble of houses and towns for at least another week but the increase was unlikely to be significant, the national AAP news agency quoted him as saying.

The official toll of 201 includes a firefighter who was killed Tuesday by a falling tree near the town of Marysville, which was almost completely destroyed.

The wildfires swept through the southeastern state of Victoria on February 7, driven by hot winds and record temperatures that had left the countryside as dry as tinder, destroying about 1,800 houses.

More than 3,000 firefighters were thrown into battle against the fires and have managed to prevent further losses, but they were still working on five blazes burning out of control on Wednesday.

A national day of mourning for the victims will be held on Sunday.

Memory Foam Mattress Review

SPACE MEDIA NETWORK PROMOTIONS
Solar Energy Solutions
Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison ...

Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

300 hurt in Bolivia landslide

La Paz (AFP) Feb 17, 2009
At least 300 people have been injured in the Bolivian city of La Paz following a serious mudslide, Mayor Juan del Granado said Tuesday.

INTERNET SPACE Search engine accuses Google of antitrust violations Facebook reassures users in wake of service terms change Taiwan's Acer moves into mobile phones Howls of protest greet tango email	LAUNCH PAD Herschel Space Telescope Is Readied For Next Ariane 5 Aerojet Celebrates Delta II Launch Vehicle's 20th Anniversary Ariane 5 - First Launch Of 2009 Ariane 5 Is Cleared For Its First Mission Of 2009
AEROSPACE Major airlines call for climate deal to include aviation Swiss aircraft firm to cut jobs in Ireland Bank of China extends massive credit to state aircraft maker Shanghai Airlines seeks capital injection	MILITARY COMMUNICATIONS Boeing Delivers First Communications Payload To MUOS Prime Contractor Raytheon Delivers Final Sentinel R Mk 1 Aircraft For UK ASTOR System USAF Awards LockMart Team Contract To Extend TSAT Risk Reduction/System Definition Phase Major Test Of Second Advanced EHF MilComms Satellite Underway
TECH SPACE ABSL Ships First Hardware From Colorado Satellite traffic control system urged ISRO To Launch A Breakthrough Satellite The Problem Of Space Junk	APPOINTMENTS Raytheon Makes Executive Changes In Space Business George Preston Chosen For 2009 Henry Norris Russell Lectureship Stevens New Director Of Communications And Public Outreach For Space Foundation ATK Appoints Blake Larson To Lead Space Systems Group
EARTH OBSERVATION US judge sides with Google in 'Street View' privacy case DigitalGlobe Announces Agreement With Nokia For Use Of Imagery ESA Water Mission On Track For Launch NASA Mission Meets The Carbon Dioxide Measurement Challenge	GPS NEWS GlobalTag Combining GPS, RFID And Satellite Communications Flight Schedule Information Available Via New GPS Service Doosan Infracore America Selects ORBCOMM Telematics App Saving On Fuel And Safeguarding The Environment With Smart Driving

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright Space.TV Corporation. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space.TV Corp on any Web page published or hosted by Space.TV Corp. Privacy Statement