6 January 2013 Last updated at 11:52

In pictures: Tasmania wildfires

The debris of houses destroyed by a bushfire is seen in Dunalley, Tasmania (6 Jan 2013)

Wildfires sweeping across the south of the Australian island state of Tasmania have destroyed about 100 homes.

Police Rescue Helicopter crewman Matthew Drumm looks at a bushfire in Dunalley (6 Jan 2013).

Though many were evacuated, about 100 people are still unaccounted for. Police officers from other Australian states have been brought in to relieve crews who have been battling the fires for days.

A house destroyed by bushfire in Dunalley, east of Hobart, in Tasmania (6 Jan 2013)

Some of the worst damage was in the small community of Dunalley, some 25 miles (40km) east of the state capital, Hobart.

Ruins of Dunalley Primary School, Tasmania (5 Jan 2013).

As well as homes, the community's primary school, along with the police station, was destroyed.

Smoke from a bushfire billows over hills near Forcett, about 16 miles (25km) east of Hobart (4 Jan 2013).

The fires come as the area experiences the fiercest heatwave in more than eight decades, with temperatures forecast to remain high next week.

Asia

In pictures: Tasmania wildfires

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