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AUSTRALIA FIRE CLAIMS OVER 200. WORST FIRE EVER IN IN AUSSIE LAND BBC NEWS
Australia fire deaths rise to 200
The number of people who died in Australia's bushfires has reached 200 and will rise further, police say.
The gruesome milestone was reached after fire investigators discovered 11 more bodies in the town of Kinglake, in south-east Victoria state.
More than 1,800 homes were destroyed and 7,500 people displaced by the hundreds of fires that swept the state.
Police suspect at least two of the fires were set deliberately, and have charged one man with arson.
On Monday a Melbourne court named the suspect as Brendan Sokaluk - despite fears for his safety prompted by public fury over the blaze.
Prosecutors allege that the 39-year-old deliberately set a fire in Churchill, Victoria, in which 11 people died.
He is facing charges of arson causing death and of intentionally starting a bushfire. He faces a maximum 25-year sentence for the first charge, and 15 years for the second.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has announced that a national day of mourning will be held on Sunday for all victims of the bushfires.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/asia-pacific/7894011.stm
Published: 2009/02/17 07:53:57 GMT
© BBC MMIX
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