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　　At least 140 people have died in Australia's worst-ever bushfire disaster. Arsonists¹, who are thought to have been responsible for some of the devastating² outbreaks in the southern state, Victoria, have been accused of mass murder by Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. Queen Elizabeth has sent a message of condolence to families of the victims.
至少有140人在澳大利亚有史以来最为惨重的森林大火中丧生。在澳大利亚南部维多利亚州爆发的多处森林大火据信是由纵火者引发的。澳大利亚总理陆克文指责说，纵火者是群体谋杀犯。伊丽莎白女王致信向遇难者家庭表示哀悼。
Cooler weather is helping³ the emergency effort, as about 30 fires continue to torment⁴ communities across Victoria.
大约30处大火继续摧残着遍及维多利亚州各地的社区。而转凉的天气则有助于紧急救援工作。
However, there is a warning that dangerous days still lie ahead.
但是，官方警告说，危险的日子还没有到头。
Victoria County Fire chief Stewart Kreltszheim says the military will provide much-needed support...
维多利亚郡消防长官斯图亚特.克雷尔茨海姆说，军队将会提供急需的援助。
"We've also got the army moving in today and the army are going to provide us with some grunt⁵ [muscle-power], with some bulldozers and our tractors," he said.
“军队今天到了这里。他们会给我们提供一些人力、掘土机和拖拉机。”
Towering walls of flame, several storeys high, have destroyed entire communities, reduced to barely more than piles of ash. To add to the loss of life, homes, churches, supermarkets and police stations have been obliterated⁶.
高达几层楼的火焰已经把许多社区完全摧毁，剩下来的只有成堆的灰烬。大火吞噬了生命，也令家园、教堂、超市和警察局化为乌有。
Dozens of people are still missing. Survivor⁷ Wade⁸ Horton describes terrifying ordeal⁹ as the flames raced towards him...
目前仍然有几十个人失踪。幸存者韦德.霍顿描述了他在火焰迅速向他逼近时的可怕遭遇。
"The smoke was coming over all day, but from what we could tell it was miles away and then walked up the front and I saw it hit the top of the mountain and within a minute it was down to the bottom of the valley and that whole valley across the other side was a wall of fire,' he said.
“烟雾一整天都在往这里飘。但是我们那会儿知道它离我们有几英哩远。后来朝这个方向推进。我看到火烧到山顶，而不到一分钟的时间就蔓延到山谷。山谷的另一侧整个成了火墙。”
New Zealand has offered to send fire fighters to relieve exhausted¹⁰ crews in Victoria.
新西兰已经派出消防人员前往维多利亚，帮助那里精疲力尽的灭火队员。
Britain's Queen Elizabeth, who is Australia's head of state, has sent a message of condolence to families of the victims and has also praised the extraordinary efforts of firefighters. The British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has spoken to his Australian counterpart, Kevin Rudd, and says that his government is ready to help, if needed.
英国女王伊丽莎白是澳大利亚的国家元首。她致信遇难者家庭表示哀悼。她还就灭火人员所做出的非同寻常的努力加以称赞。英国首相布朗和澳大利亚总理陆克文通话时说，如果有需要，英国政府随时可以提供帮助。
Mr. Rudd says that arsonists suspected of starting some of Victoria's fires are guilty of "mass murder."
陆克文说，那些被怀疑在维多利亚一些地方引火的纵火者犯下了“群体谋杀”罪。
As the Australian army joins the search for those missing in the fires, investigators¹¹ have grave concerns about what they might find in the charred¹² remains¹³ of homes and cars.
澳大利亚军队开始参与寻找大火中的失踪者。调查人员则极度担心会在烧焦的房屋和汽车中找到什么。
It has been an excruciating wait for survivors¹⁴, desperate for news of relatives and friends they have not been able to contact. Doctors treating burns victims have said that some have been so badly injured they will probably die, as Australia continues to count the heartbreaking cost of its most savage¹⁵ bushfire disaster.
幸存者在煎熬中等待，急切地想知道无法联系上的亲友们的下落。给烧伤者治疗的医生们说，一些人受伤非常严重，恐怕会死去。而澳大利亚仍然在计算着这场最残酷的森林大火带来的令人心碎的损失。