In Algeria, dozens of fires kill at least 38 people, including 25 soldiers
Men evacuate the remains of a man killed in a fire in Tizi Ouzou, one of the main cities of Kabylia on August 10, 2021. AFP - RYAD KRAMDI
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3 min
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune announced on Tuesday evening August 10 on his Twitter account the death of 25 soldiers in the fires that have been raging since Monday in the north of the country, especially in Kabylia.
On the civilian side, the toll has grown: 13 dead including 12 in Tizi Ouzou, according to the official press agency.
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At least 38 people, including 13 civilians and 25 soldiers, have lost their lives in the fires ravaging northern Algeria, especially in Kabylia, authorities said on Tuesday.
The fires, which began Monday evening, killed 13 civilians, including 12 in Tizi Ouzou, according to a new report provided by the official APS agency in the evening.
On Tuesday evening, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune lamented on Twitter the death of 25 soldiers who were trying to put out the fires, offering his condolences to the families of the victims. "
It is with great sadness that I learned of the martyrdom of 25 soldiers after they managed to rescue more than a hundred citizens from the flames, in the mountains of Bejaïa and Tizi Ouzou
", wrote the Algerian head of state. Public television then gave a similar assessment.
Earlier, the Ministry of National Defense had for its part reported the loss of "
eighteen combatants
" in a statement, specifying that 13 other soldiers suffer from burns to varying degrees.
Their intervention "
made it possible to save 110 citizens from the flames: men, women and children,
" added the ministry.
"Criminal origin"
According to Prime Minister Aïmène Benabderahmane, more than 70 fires broke out in 18
wilayas
(prefectures) in the north of the country.
The cities of Bouira, Sétif, Khenchela, Guelma, Bejaïa, Bordj Bou Arreridj, Boumerdès, Tiaret, Medea, Tébessa, Blida and Skikda are affected, the general directorate of civil protection said on Twitter.
For its part, the Ministry of the Interior described
the origin of the outbreaks as
"
criminal
".
Minister Kamel Beldjoud traveled with a ministerial delegation to Tizi Ouzou, one of the most populous cities in the region.
“
Fifty starts of fire at the same time, it's impossible.
These fires are of criminal origin,
”said Kamel Beldjoud.
Algerian public radio announced the arrest of three "
arsonists
" in Médéa.
A fourth was arrested in Annaba, according to APS.
Cléa PÉCULIER AFP
(With AFP)
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