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Death Toll Rises in Israeli Forest Fire

03 December 2010 20:12 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. International crews have begun to arrive in Israel to help battle a deadly forest fire near the northern port city of Haifa that has forced thousands to evacuate their homes, APA reports quoting â€œThe Voice of Americaâ€.

Officials say about 100 firefighters from Bulgaria arrived early Friday, as well as forces from Jordan and Greece. Firefighting crews and equipment from Britain, Cyprus, Egypt, Spain and Turkey are also headed to Israel to battle the blaze.

A police spokesman told reporters another body has been discovered from the fire in the Carmel forest in Israel’s Galilee region, bringing the death toll to 41. Most of the dead were young prison guard cadets trapped in a bus heading to a prison to evacuate inmates, many of them Palestinians.

The spokesman says the fire has consumed more than 4,000 hectares of land, making it the worst forest fire in Israel’s history.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will hold an emergency cabinet meeting Friday to discuss the tragedy.

Mr. Netanyahu toured the scene of the fire by helicopter late Thursday night. He said had suffered a disaster of "unprecedented proportions" on a scale "we have never seen before."

After a long, dry summer, Israel is now experiencing unseasonably hot weather and its forests are tinder-dry.