Wildfires have swept through northeastern Algeria, resulting in the deaths of 12 people and injuring dozens more, according to Interior Minister Said Sayoud and civil protection authorities.

The fatalities include five in Jijel province, four in Bejaia, and three in Tizi Ouzou province. Among the deceased in Bejaia were an eight-year-old boy and a 22-year-old woman, as reported by a local radio station. Earlier reports had indicated only two deaths in Bejaia.

At a hospital in Bejaia, 54 people are being treated for burns, including six serious cases. Many residents in Bejaia and Jijel have been evacuated due to the fires.

Sayoud and Health Minister Mohamed Seddik Ait Messaoudene traveled to Bejaia to "assess the progress of firefighting operations on the ground... and the condition of the injured," according to the official APS news agency.

As of 8:00 pm (1900 GMT) on Wednesday, firefighters were battling 69 active blazes. The gendarmerie reported that three major national highways connecting eastern regions near Bejaia, Jijel, and Setif have been closed due to the fires.

Smoke and fires have also threatened villages near Tizi Ouzou, located about 100 km east of the capital Algiers.

Sources