Guwahati News Desk: In an attempt to extinguish the wildfires raging in the northeastern provinces of Tizi Ouzou and Bejaia, at least 25 Algerian soldiers were killed on Tuesday.
As per the sources, the deaths and injuries on Tuesday, occurred mainly around Kabyle’s capital of Tizi-Ouzou, which is flanked by mountains, and also in Bejaia, which borders the Mediterranean Sea.
Moreover, the Prime Minister Aimene Benabderrahmane announced that 17 civilians also lost their lives amidst the ravaging fires, but provided no further details.
The prime minister further stated that the initial reports from security services showed the fires in Kabyle as “highly synchronized,” adding that“leads one to believe these were criminal acts.”
Even the Interior Minister Kamel Beldjoud also described the fires as a “criminal act,” demanding competent authorities start an investigation to determine the causes and bring the ‘criminals’ to justice.
Infact, Beldjoud himself traveled to Kabyle to assess the situation and said on national television,“Thirty fires at the same time in the same region can’t be by chance.”
According to sources, the government has decided to compensate all the residents who suffered material losses from the wildfires, noting that a delegation of 140 experts will be sent to the province of Tizi Ouzou to assess the extent of damages and losses.
President Abdelmadjid Tebboune tweeted by referring to the deceased soldiers as ‘martyrss’ who saved the people from the fires.
Meanwhile, call for help with hashtags are surfacing on social media, with one trending in Twitter with the hashtag #PrayforAlgeria. In addition to this, photos and videos posted showed plumes of dark smoke and orange skies rising above hillside villages or soldiers in army fatigues without protective clothing.
Photo | Reuters