The death toll and heavy injuries … and the authorities evacuate hundreds
Yesterday, the Algerian Ministry of Justice announced the opening of judicial investigations against unknown persons about the forest fires in order to “confirm their source, after the occurrence of many deaths, and to find out whether it was criminal, and to identify the perpetrators in order to pursue them judicially with the strictness required by the seriousness of these acts, and in accordance with the laws of the Republic.”
Yesterday, Algerian firefighters continued evacuating hundreds of people affected and fighting the fires, which in an infinite toll claimed the lives of at least 38 people, caused widespread destruction, and caused severe injuries, mostly in the state of Tarf in northeastern Algeria, where the temperature reached 48 degrees Celsius. . At least 200 people also suffered burns or respiratory problems due to the smoke, according to Algerian media.
A massive fire broke out in the mountainous Souk Ahras area, AFP reported, describing scenes of panic in the city of half a million people, where nearly 100 women and 17 newborns were evacuated from a hospital near the forest. Algerian television also showed footage of people escaping from their burning homes, and women carrying children, while local media said that about 350 people had fled their homes.
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