The prime minister of Australia has been heckled and told to “p*** off” in a town ravaged by wildfires.
One resident of Cobargo, New South Wales, told Scott Morrison: “You’re an idiot, mate. You really are.”
A woman asked him: “What about the people who are dead now, Mr Prime Minister? What about the people who have nowhere to live?”
Another refused to shake his hand until he gave more money to the firefighting effort.
Aides cut Morrison’s visit short. He said: “I’m not surprised people are feeling very raw.”
Tens of thousands of people were fleeing a large evacuation area in New South Wales as more than 200 fires were fanned by 40C heat and strong winds. Worse was expected tomorrow.
The navy was preparing to evacuate 4000 people in neighbouring Victoria by ship.
Morrison’s right-wing government has been condemned for failing to do more to tackle the fires and for its alleged inaction on climate change. Australia is a major coal producer.
The PM was also slammed for going on holiday to Hawaii as the fires raged out of control. He had to cut the trip short.
Since September, the fires have killed at least 18 people – seven in the past week – and destroyed 1200 homes.
