Australia's bushfire victims mourned.Summary: Australia Australia (ôstrāl`yə), smallest continent, between the Indian and Pacific oceans. With the island state of Tasmania to the south, the continent makes up the Commonwealth of Australia, a federal parliamentary state (2005 est. pop. has mourned the victims of deadly bushfires at church services across the country. Australia has mourned the victims of deadly bushfires at church services across the country. The fires in the state of Victoria, the worst natural disaster to hit the country in more than a century, have left at least 181 people dead, a death toll that is expected to rise. The bushfires destroyed more than 1,800 homes and left 7,000 people homeless. In the town of Wandong, where several people died, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd  Editing of this page by unregistered or newly registered users is currently disabled due to vandalism. paid tribute to the community for its efforts during a
memorial service.
"You, as this community, full of courage, reliance and compassion compassion, n a profound awareness of another's suffering coupled with a desire to alleviate that suffering. , I salute each and every one of you," he said. Authorities said it would be weeks before they would be able to say that the fires have definitely been put out. Controlled burning was carried out over the weekend in an effort to stop the flames from spreading. Victoria state's emergency response centre said eight fires were still burning, four less than on Saturday, and although some were producing a lot of smoke, cooler temperatures and favourable winds were helping the firefighters. A Royal Commission of Inquiry has been established to examine what caused the disaster and one man has been charged with "arson arson, at common law, the malicious and willful burning of the house of another. Originally, it was an offense against the security of habitation rather than against property rights. causing death" in relation to one of the fires. Researchers say around half of the bushfires in Australia were lit deliberately. Mr Rudd has described the fires as "mass murder". E Independent Television News Limited 2009. All rights reserved. E Independent Television News Limited 2009. All rights reserved. Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company |
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