(MENAFN) The interior ministry reported that at least 26 people were killed and numerous others hurt by forest fires that tore across 14 regions of northern Algeria on Wednesday.
In addition to the two persons who died earlier in Setif, Kamel Beldjoud claimed that 24 people perished in fires in El Tarf, close to the Tunisian border.
In the town of Setif, two women—"a 58-year-old mother and her 31-year-old daughter"—had reportedly been killed, according to the civil protection service.
People were spotted escaping their homes in Souk Ahras, farther east towards Algeria's border with Tunisia, as fires spread before firefighting helicopters were sent in.
According to an earlier count, 41 people in Souk Ahras experienced breathing problems, while four persons in Souk Ahras got burns. 350 residents, according to media accounts, were evacuated.
The number of those hurt in the flames in other locations has not yet been updated.
Due to the fires, the gendarmerie has had to close a number of roadways.
The civil protection office said that there were 39 active fires spread throughout 14 wilayas (administrative councils), with El Tarf suffering the most, with 16 active flames.
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