97 fires broke out in 16 states in Algeria, killing 34 people

Weather of Arabia - The death toll from the fires raging in 11 provinces in Algeria has risen to 34, according to the Ministry of the Interior, late on Monday.

The ministry stated, through its official account on Twitter, that 10 military personnel and 9 civilian casualties were recorded, bringing the death toll to 34.

#Important #Statement
The general situation of the forest fires that affected 11 states . pic.twitter.com/XMWRpRJOgE

- Ministry of Interior - Algeria (@interieur_dz) July 24, 2023

According to the statement, 10 members of the National People's Army were killed due to the fires, while 24 civilians were killed due to the fires.

The previous toll was 15 people, when the Algerian Ministry of Interior announced today, Monday, that 97 fires had broken out across 16 states, during the last 24 hours, killing 15 people and injuring 26 others.

The Algerian ministry said, in a statement, that the fires affected forests and agricultural crops, noting that 1,500 people had been evacuated from the affected areas.

She added that the states of Bejaia, Bouira and Jijel, located in northeastern Algeria, recorded the largest fires due to the strong winds they witnessed, as some of them spread to populated villages, and this resulted in the death of 15 people and 26 injured, while 1,500 citizens were evacuated for fear of more victims.

According to the statement, fire suppression operations are continuing in the meantime in 6 eastern states of the country, with all necessary means of extinguishing, including firefighting helicopters, mobilized.

According to the local newspaper, Al-Shorouk, 97 fires broke out in forests, jungles, and agricultural crops in 16 states, pointing out that the states of Bejaia, Bouira, and Jijel recorded the largest fires due to the strong winds in these areas, as some of them spread to populated villages.

The Ministry of the Interior confirmed that work is continuing to put out the fires despite the difficult climatic conditions due to strong winds, and attention is being paid to evacuating the residents of the affected areas to safe places.