Australia bushfires death toll reaches 12 with at least four people missing

The death toll from the bushfires in Australia has reached 12 with at least four people missing.

The deadly bushfires have now destroyed a bigger area and the military has been called in to help fight the flames which show no sign of being brought under control, Daily Mirror reports.

A three-year drought in large parts of Australia created tinder-dry conditions and this led to the devastating bushfires.

Twelve people have now lost their lives in fire-related deaths across Australia since blazes broke out a few months ago. The flames have been fanned by soaring temperatures with columns of fire and smoke blackening entire towns on Monday and Tuesday this week.

Thousands of residents and holidaymakers were forced to seek shelter on beaches. Many stood in shallow water to escape the flames.

New blazes are sparked almost daily by extremely hot and windy conditions and, most recently, dry lightning strikes created by the fires themselves.

There are still more than 100 blazes in New South Wales (NSW) state alone and thousands of firefighters on the ground.

According to the publication, the body of a man was found in a burnt car early on Wednesday on the south coast of New South Wales after emergency workers began reaching the most damaged areas, and police said the death toll will rise.

On Tuesday, December 31, as the fires raged, the sky above Mallacoota turned a blazing red. Residents went out to the beach to escape the blazes. Some went out onto the water in boats.

Police said early assessments have found nearly 200 homes have been destroyed, though they cautioned it was an early estimate.

In Victoria state, four people remain missing, state Premier Daniel Andrews said, after a massive blaze ripped through Gippsland – a rural region about 500 km (310 miles) east of Melbourne.