Algeria: Wildfires kills 26 people, dozens injured

In Algeria, at least 26 people have been killed and dozens more injured in forest fires that have devastated northern part of the country. Algeria's interior minister, Kamel Beldjoud has said that 24 died in El Tarf, near the border with Tunisia. El Tarf was the worst hit area with 16 fires in progress. Local media reported that firefighters, supported by helicopters, were still trying to contain several blazes. According to Reports, some 350 residents have been evacuated in various provinces. Northern Algeria is affected by forest fires every year, with 90 people thought to have died in them last year and more than 100,000 hectares of woodland burnt. The blazes on Wednesday ravaged 14 of Algeria’s provinces.
Authorities said a total of 39 fires burned on Wednesday, with several still threatening residents into Thursday. Firefighters and helicopters dropping water buckets were working to contain the flames. The latest blazes come during a summer which has seen a number of countries in the Mediterranean region ravaged by wildfires - particularly in Europe, with France, Greece, Portugal, Spain and Italy all affected. Just last week, more than 1,000 fire officials battled what they described as a monster wildfire near Bordeaux.  The situation underscored the perennial criticism that Algiers has not invested enough in firefighting technology, including specialised planes, forcing it to seek help from the international community.