Melbourne (AFP)

Qualifications for the Australian Open tennis tournament were disrupted on Wednesday for the second day in a row by toxic smoke from the fires, but a drop in temperatures is raising hopes of a heavy rain coming soon.

A toxic cloud fell on Melbourne on Tuesday, where this first Grand Slam tournament of the year will begin on Monday.

It is the consequence of the monster fires which devastate since September whole regions of the south and the east of the immense continent island, and which left 28 dead and caused catastrophic ecological damage.

Pollution in Melbourne, which usually figures in the list of the world's most pleasant cities to live in, reached a level described as "dangerous" at the start of the week.

These bad conditions continued on Wednesday and the residents were walking around with masks on their faces.

Due to poor visibility, dozens of flights were canceled at Melbourne Airport.

Tuesday, the organizers of the Australian Open had maintained the qualifications but players were victims of discomfort.

Some fell on their knees and choked, another had to give up. Those who were forced to continue playing under these conditions protested.

On Wednesday morning, the air still tasted and smelled of smoke which led the organizers to suspend the qualifying events until 13:00 local time (02:00 GMT).

Two horse races have been canceled.

The pollution levels having improved slightly, the organizers of the Australian Open decided to resume matches on Wednesday afternoon even if the atmosphere was still clouded.

- 28 dead -

Stormy weather set in late Wednesday afternoon, accompanied by heavy rain that forced the players to interrupt their match.

These weather conditions should help to remove this cloud of pollution from Melbourne and make way for clearer skies on Thursday.

The rain is also expected to reach other parts of southern and eastern Australia where dozens of forest fires remain out of control, threatening to devastate many rural cities.

Some fires and drought-prone locations could register between 50 and 100 millimeters of rain, the Bureau of Meteorology said.

However, given the nature of thunderstorms, which strike unpredictably, it is difficult to predict exactly where the heaviest precipitation will fall.

Since the start of the fires, more than 2,000 houses have been destroyed and an area of ​​100,000 square kilometers (10 million hectares) - larger than the size of South Korea - has gone up in smoke.

The official death toll rose to 28 dead Wednesday.

These devastating forest fires made the headlines around the world and brought about a huge surge of solidarity. Donations are pouring in to help the residents and the animals affected.

An estimated one billion animals have been killed in these fires and many species are now on the verge of extinction, including koalas.

In Melbourne, the possibility of interrupting or delaying matches at the Australian Open, which is to last two weeks, was raised.

Slovenian Dalila Jakupovic was forced to withdraw from qualifying in the first round on Tuesday after suffering from a severe coughing attack on the court.

- Why wait ? -

Several players have criticized the decision to play matches under these conditions, such as the Ukrainian Elina Svitolina or the French Gilles Simon.

"Why do we have to wait for something serious to do something?" Tweeted the 5th player in the world.

Meanwhile, a debate on the positioning of the media and political leaders in the face of climate change continues with a rare intervention by one of the sons of magnate Rupert Murdoch.

James Murdoch criticized the media climatoscepticism of his father's group and the Fox News television channel in the United States on Tuesday.

News Corp owns eight of the top ten Australian newspapers.

Linked to a particularly severe drought in Australia, these early and devastating fires are aggravated by global warming, according to scientists.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison is strongly criticized. He is accused, in particular by associations fighting for the environment, of not doing more for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

© 2020 AFP