22 Aug At least 38 dead in Algeria wildfires
Emergency officials have confirmed at least 38 people have died in the wildfires that have swept through Africa’s Algeria.
Last week, the country’s interior minister Kamel Beldjoud said 24 people died in El Tarf, near the border with Tunisia, as well as a mother and daughter in Setif. However, that figure has now risen with further deaths announced by emergency officials.
The current toll for Algerians killed in wildfires this summer now stands at 42.
Many Algerians are still evacuated from their homes, with several provinces forced to flee as the fires blazed and concern grew that the hot winds could spread the flames further.
Northern Algeria is affected by forest fires every year, with Mr Beldjoud noting that 106 fires have broken out in Algeria since August, destroying 800 hectares of forest and 1,800 hectares of woodlands.
Some 90 people are thought to have died in fires last year- and more than 100,000 hectares of woodland was burnt.
The latest blazes come during a summer which has seen a number of countries in the Mediterranean region ravaged by wildfires particularly in Europe, with France, Greece, Portugal, Spain and Italy all affected.
Since the beginning of the fires, many countries such as UAE have stood in solidarity with Algeria and offered their condolences.
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