At least eight people were killed today as a bushfire burned out of control across a southern Australia peninsula, others were missing and six more were rescued after they escaped into the sea, officials said.
The fire was burning in scrubland and across rural properties across the Eyre Peninsula, about 155 miles west of South Australian state capital Adelaide, and several homes had been destroyed.
Boats picked up about six people who had jumped into the sea to escape the blaze at the coastal hamlet of North Shields, not far from the tuna fishing town of Port Lincoln.
"The latest death toll has reached eight," police inspector Malcolm Schluter told reporters.
"We still have a number of people who are unaccounted for and we are endeavouring to establish their whereabouts," he said.
It appeared all eight had died at three separate sites when vehicles they were in became trapped by flames. At least two children were among the dead.
Roads were cut and an unknown number of people had been evacuated from houses and rural properties. The Eyre peninsula fire had burned out at least 100,000 hectares, an area almost the size of greater London, officials said.
The fire, the first major flare-up of the Australian bushfire season, broke out yesterday in scrubland around Port Lincoln.
Firefighters contained the blaze overnight but it flared again as temperatures soared above 40 degrees and was fanned by strong winds. At least five small towns north or northwest of Port Lincoln were under threat, officials said.
A second fire also broke out in hills just outside Adelaide, cutting at least one major road but there were no reports of injury or other damage.