Developing
Australia Scrambles Military as Wildfire Death Toll Climbs
- At least 16 people have been killed in nation-wide emergency
- Smoke haze chokes the capital with hazardous air quality
A firefighter walks past burning trees during a battle against bushfires around the town of Nowra in New South Wales,. Australia on Dec. 31.
Photographer: Saeed Khan/AFP via Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Australia scrambled military helicopters and ships on Wednesday to help thousands of people cut off by wildfires raging across the southeast as the death toll from the national crisis continued to climb.
Some 4,000 holiday-makers and locals remain stranded in the remote township of Mallacoota in Victoria state after a bushfire tore through the community on Tuesday, forcing people to shelter on the beach or escape by boats.