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Soldier dies battling Montenegro wildfire
/ Photo: © AFP
NYSE - LSE
Soldier dies battling Montenegro wildfire
A Montenegrin soldier has died and another was seriously injured Tuesday when their water tanker overturned while fighting wildfires in the hills north of the capital.
Fire crews, aided by military personnel, were fighting a blaze around Podgorica for a second day when the truck flipped, the defence ministry said in a statement.
"The Montenegrin Army is conducting an investigation to determine the cause and circumstances of the accident," the statement from the defence ministry said.
According to the national broadcaster, both men in their 40s were on the truck when it rolled off a track in rough terrain.
Waterbombing aircraft and more than a hundred defence personnel were called in to try to bring multiple blazes under control, as fires destroyed several homes and forced dozens to evacuate.
Sweltering conditions were also driving a large forest fire on the country's Adriatic coast.
Several Balkan countries, including neighbouring Albania and Croatia, are also fighting wildfires fuelled by the high temperatures as a heatwave sweeps Europe.
Authorities warned that temperatures were expected to climb to 41C in parts of the peninsula, with extreme heat forecast for most of the week.
C. Fournier--BTZ
