Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has called off his four-day visit to India from 13 January due to devastating wildfires in several parts of his country, diplomatic sources told PTI on Friday, 3 January.
Morrison was scheduled to hold extensive bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the visit.
Meanwhile, in a telephonic conversation with Morrison, PM Modi conveyed his heartfelt condolences on behalf of all Indians on damage to life and property due to the prolonged bushfires.
The Australian prime minister was also scheduled to deliver the inaugural address at the Raisina Dialogue, the flagship annual lecture series organised by the Ministry of External Affairs.
Besides Delhi, Morrison also planned to visit Mumbai and Bengaluru. “Prime Minister Scott Morrison has called off his visit to India due to the serious situation arising out of bush fires in several parts of Australia," a diplomatic source told PTI.
Bushfires have ripped through the states of New South Wales and Victoria, killing at least 20 people and destroying nearly 500 homes.
About 4,000 people, including nearly 3,000 tourists, were stranded in Victoria's Mallacoota region since they were forced to take shelter on the foreshore as the fire approached on New Year's eve.
Australian authorities on Thursday declared a state of emergency and forced evacuation of residents, tourists and closure of roads in the bushfire zones in the states of New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria ahead of Saturday's forecast of "horrible" fire conditions due to the intensified heat wave.
Last month, Morrison had come under fire and was forced to cut short a holiday to Hawaii just before Christmas following the bushfire conditions.
He later told ABC news channel that he came to Cobargo to “see it for myself, to offer what comfort I could, but you can't always in every circumstances”.
“I'm not surprised people are feeling very raw at the moment,” Morrison had said adding “I understand the very strong feelings people have. They've lost everything and there are still some very dangerous days ahead.”
Media reports said that a planned trip to Japan is also in doubt.
(With inputs from PTI)
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