4. Aftermath of the Horror
Charred and burned out houses continued to fall, until the streets became mounds of impassable debris. The roads out were clogged by refugees seeking shelter and often elusive safety elsewhere, their few household possessions that had been saved from the flames piled high on cars, trucks, or wooden and wooden wheeled farm carts drawn by oxen. Many others were forced to stay in Guernica, where they slept on mattresses atop the debris, or frantically searched for missing children and loved ones. Firemen, police, and others who lent a hand continued to perform rescue work until dawn. The smoke and flames from the burning town were visible from more than ten miles away. The following day, April 27th, news of Guernica’s destruction appeared in the international press. It triggered widespread condemnations of the atrocity. Franco’s fascists labeled it “fake news”.
