A bush fire fanned by gusty winds has gutted four villages in South Sudan's Western Bahr el Ghazal region, killing 33 people, the president's spokesman said, adding the toll was likely to rise.

The spokesman said in a statement late on Monday that 60 other people were in a critical condition after the fire on Sunday.

“The injured are receiving medication, which is not sufficient given the remote state of the area in which the incident has taken place,” Ateny Wek Ateny said in a statement at the statehouse on Monday evening.

On Tuesday, Mathok Wal, Lol State's information minister, said the fire had also destroyed 138 houses in the villages in Korok East County and killed 10,000 cattle.

(Source: Reuters)