Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison has to accept criticism for a trip he took on during the severe fires in his country. He was apologizing now. Morrison had flown to Hawaii last week.
„I deeply regret that vacationing with my family during this time caused trouble for many Australians affected by the terrible bushfires,“ he said today. He would now travel to Sydney as soon as possible. His wife and two daughters would stay in Hawaii.
Two firefighters were recently killed in the fight against the devastating bush fires. The two men got off the road near the town of Buxton last night and crashed into a tree, the fire department in the affected state of New South Wales said.
In addition, three other emergency services were injured in the accident. As a result, the number of victims who died in the fires that have raged since October rose to at least eight.
State of emergency for a week
Most recently, the most populous state of New South Wales declared a seven-day state of emergency on the east coast. More than 1,700 firefighters fight around 100 fires. The fight against the flames is made difficult by heat and a great dryness.
Australia has been suffering from severe drought for about two or three years, and the dried-up vegetation is particularly easy to ignite. A historic heat mark was passed on Tuesday. It was the hottest in southern Cedina at 46.5 degrees. At 41.9 degrees, the nationwide average maximum temperature was finally higher on Wednesday than ever since records began. Record values are also expected in the coming days.
According to the authorities, bush fires in Australia have destroyed several million hectares of land since October. More than 1,000 houses were destroyed. A particularly threatening large fire has come to Sydney at a distance of around 70 kilometers. In the metropolis of millions, people suffer from the smoke. The air is likely to remain polluted for months.
