A three-day official mourning period has been declared in the Spanish region of Andalusia following the mass loss of life caused by a major forest fire in the Los Gallardos area. Firefighting efforts are ongoing, El País reports.

So far, the deaths of 12 people have been confirmed, another eight have been injured, and the fate of 23 people remains unknown. Among the dead may be citizens of the United Kingdom and Belgium.

The mourning period will last through Friday and the weekend. During this time, flags on government buildings will be flown at half-mast. The public broadcast of the football match between the national teams of Spain and Belgium in Los Angeles has also been canceled due to the mourning.

Members of the new Andalusian government, who were due to be sworn in on Friday, held the ceremony remotely in light of the tragedy.

Dozens of volunteers are being sent to areas where assistance centers for victims have been set up to support evacuated residents.

The fire, which spread rapidly across a large area, has already destroyed more than 3,000 hectares of forest and remains out of control. Strong winds are hampering firefighters' work.

According to preliminary investigation data, the fire may have been caused by a fallen electrical cable, after which the flames spread to the forested area.

The fire in Los Gallardos, which broke out on Thursday, is considered the most destructive in Andalusia to date.