The soldiers were surrounded by flames as they moved away from Beni Kasila, in Bejaya province, along with residents of nearby towns, according to the defense ministry.
At least 34 people, among them ten soldiers, died in the fires that swept through northeastern Algeria overnight Sunday into Monday and were still raging yesterday, according to the latest official casualty count released by the Interior Ministry on Monday night.
Previous account he spoke of 25 dead and dozens injured due to the fires, which are affecting some fifteen prefectures in the north-eastern part of the country.
The soldiers were surrounded by flames as they were moving away from Beni Kasila, in the province of Bejaya (east), along with residents of nearby towns, the Defense Ministry said.
In neighboring Tunisia, in the border region of Tambarka (northwest), fires were rekindled which had already caused great destruction last week. An AFP team found heavy damage in Nefza, 150 kilometers west of Tunis, where aerial vehicles were operating.
About 300 inhabitants of the village, of Meloula, had to move away “by sea” as a precautiondue to strong gusts of wind that were fueling the flames, said Houssem Edin Djambali, a spokesman for Tunisia’s national guard.
On Sunday and Monday, 97 fires were counted in 16 prefectures, according to the Ministry of the Interior. Fanned by winds, the flames reached residential areas in three prefectures, where 1,500 residents were ordered to evacuate, according to the same source.
Algeria is facing a heatwave, with temperatures reaching 48°C yesterday, leaving vegetation completely dry and increasing the risk of fire. In Tunisia, thermometers showed 49° Celsius.
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Taboun expressed his condolences to the families of the victims.
Around 8,000 civil protection workers and 525 vehicles were continuing night-time extinguishing efforts in 11 prefectures, where fires ravaged forests and crops. Aircraft and helicopters were also involved in the operations.
The general prosecutor’s office in Bejaya has ordered a preliminary investigation to establish the causes of the fires and identify the perpetrators of possible arson.
Every summer the north and east of Algeria are hit by wildfires, a phenomenon exacerbated by climate change, bringing droughts and heatwaves.
In August 2022, giant fires had claimed the lives of 37 people.
The summer of 2021 saw the deadliest fires in decades, with over 90 deadespecially in Kabylia.
Source :Skai
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