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Portugal denies water-pumping plane crash

MADRID, June 20 (KUNA) -- Portugal denied reports that a water-pumping plane battling forest fires had crashed on Tuesday.
"No plane had crashed," Victor Vaz Pinto, commander of civil defense, told reporters and was cited by Spanish official TV in Madrid.
He made the confirmation hours after reports suggested that a Canadair plane crashed while battling the fires in Pedrogao Grande province.
Pinto said a big explosion took place and was mistakenly throught be the plane crash, but it was a blast by gas cylinders.
The fire that broke out 200 kms north of the capital Lisbon last Saturday, killed 64 people and injured 157 others. (pickup previous) hnd.bs