Seven killed in Argentina brush fires

Seven people are reported to have died in scrubland fires in central Argentina, over the past twenty-four hours.

An official in the province of Mendoza said the seven had been trapped by the flames they were trying to control.

An eighth person had died earlier.

The fires broke out a month ago, apparently set off by electrical storms and the burning of dry grass and brush by cattle farmers.

They were fanned by strong winds and have destroyed two-million hectares of scrubland so far.

The worst affected region is said to be the Pampas, where several hundred head of cattle have died.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service