Deadly fires sweep across three central Mozambican provinces

According to reports on 5 September 2008, deadly fires have swept across three central Mozambican provinces, Sofala, Manica and Zambezia. The fires -- which are apparently offshoots of wildfires in South Africa that began earlier in the week -- have killed at least 32 people in Mozambique and injured hundreds more; 21 people were confirmed dead in Sofala province and 11 people were killed in Manica province. The Mozambican government has mobilized emergency resources to contain the fires and to provide aid to the affected provinces, but the fires are expected to continue spreading in the coming days.