Forest Fire in Israel

About 40 people have died in what is thought to be Israel's largest ever forest fire, police have said. Many of the victims were prison guards travelling on a bus which was caught in the inferno in the Carmel Mountains near the northern city of Haifa.

Thousands of people, including prison inmates, have been evacuated from the area. Scores more have been injured, the ambulance service said. The cause of the blaze was not immediately known.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has visited the affected area, said it was an "unprecedented disaster".

For this activation, value adding support has been provided by the European project GMES SAFER.