Australia`s bushfire insurance claims hit $96 mn

Sydney: At least 900 bushfire claims have been lodged with the Australian insurers so far, with losses of more than 100 million Australian dollars ($96 million), the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) said Tuesday. More claims are expected to be lodged this week, Xinhua quoted the representative body of Australia`s general insurance industry as saying. ICA spokesperson Campbell Fuller said insurance assessors had started to review claims and assess the damage, but many affected areas were still not accessible due to the ongoing fire risk. "This is a horrific thing for many, many families and businesses to go through," Xinhua cited Fuller as telling to the Australian Associated Press (AAP).

On Monday, a team of disaster specialists was sent to the Springwood recovery centre by the ICA to help bushfire policy holders with questions about their insurance claims. "The ICA`s team at the Springwood recovery centre is there to answer questions about the claims process, and help policy holders make contact with their insurer," ICA chief executive Rob Whelan said in a statement. "The ICA is also liaising closely with local and state government agencies, emergency services and community groups to help identify issues and resolve them as swiftly as possible," the statement added.