May 21, 2013
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) - Police say the confirmed death toll
from Australia's deadly wildfires has reached 200 and will rise
further.
The grim milestone was passed Tuesday after investigators confirmed 11 more people had died in one of more than 400 fires that raged across southern Victoria state on Feb. 7.
More than 1,800 homes were destroyed in the fires, which
scorched more than 1,500 square miles (3,900 square kilometers) of
farms, forests and towns.
Victoria police said in a statement the new deaths were from a fire that razed the town of Kinglake and surrounding areas.
Police spokesman Marty Beveridge said the death count would go higher as more remains are identified.
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