One Dead, 17 Missing Amid Bushfires in Victoria, Australia

Smoke billows during bushfires in Buchan, a town in the east Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia, on Dec. 30, 2019. Glen Morey/Social Media/via Reuters

There are grave fears for 17 people missing in Australia’s southern state of Victoria, where massive, deadly bushfires rip through the East Gippsland region.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews told reporters on Thursday none of the 17 people missing in the region are emergency services personnel.