Portugal declares three days mourning over wildfires incident

Portugal has declared three days of national mourning for the victims of wildfires that raged across the country.

The mourning begins today.

At least thirty-six people have died after hundreds of fires spread across central and northern areas on Sunday and Monday.

A report says, the fires started in dry conditions and were fanned by strong Atlantic winds from hurricane Ophelia.

Prime Minister António Costa has described the fires as the largest the country has experienced since 2006.

He says his cabinet would meet on Saturday to adopt recommendations of a report on fire prevention commissioned after a blaze in June that killed sixty-four people.

Meanwhile, across the border in Spain, at least three persons have died in wildfires in the Galicia region.