Death toll from Algeria wildfires rises to 12

Forest fires killed 12 people and injured dozens in northeastern Algeria on Wednesday, according to the interior minister and civil protection authorities. The death toll has risen from earlier reports of two fatalities and an unspecified number of injuries in coastal Bejaia province. Five people perished in Jijel province, while four died in Bejaia and three in Tizi Ouzou province, reported Interior Minister Said Sayoud on national television.

A further 54 individuals were being treated for burns, including six in critical condition, at a hospital in Bejaia. Interior Minister Sayoud and Health Minister Mohamed Seddik Ait Messaoudene visited Bejaia to assess firefighting progress and the injured's condition. Many residents in Bejaia and Jijel have been evacuated, with three major national highways connecting eastern regions closed due to the fires.

Firefighters are currently battling 69 blazes, as reported by the civil protection agency. Local media captured panicked residents seeking refuge in a post office amidst thick smoke. The fire crisis in northern Algeria, exacerbated by climate change, intensified in July 2023 when over 30 people lost their lives in fires that ravaged forests, farmland, and hundreds of homes near Bejaia.

Nearly 2,000 fires were recorded nationwide in July of this year, resulting in more than 100 temporary evacuations due to the ongoing threats.