The death toll in the worst wildfires in Australia’s history has risen to 200, police said on Tuesday.
”Victoria [state] police believe the provisional fatalities from the 2009 bushfires have climbed from 189 to 200,” a spokesperson told Agence France-Presse.
The update follows the discovery of an additional five bodies in the badly hit township of Kinglake, taking total deaths there to 37, and another three in the flattened hamlet of Marysville, where 39 people are now confirmed dead.
Another two bodies were found in Strathewen, where 42 people are now believed to have died, and one was discovered at Strath Creek.
Police have warned the toll is likely to rise further and it will take some time to reach a definitive figure.
The official death toll stood at 181 for almost a week, even though body identification specialists and forensic experts had spent days sifting through the ashes of devastated towns. It was updated to 189 on Monday.
About 1 800 homes were destroyed in the fires.
Authorities have charged one man with arson over the blaze at Churchill, east of the city of Melbourne.
Brendan Sokaluk (39) is in protective custody amid fears he will be targeted for allegedly starting a fire that killed 11 people and razed 151 homes in the Churchill township on February 7.
The fire was one of several major blazes that swept through Victoria state and police are investigating the possibility that a number were deliberately lit.
Sokaluk has been charged with arson, causing death and intentionally lighting a bushfire. He faces up to 25 years in jail if convicted. — AFP
