The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its condolences for the victims of the forest fires that broke out in a number of Algerian provinces and claimed the lives of 37 people.
On Thursday, the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its condolences for the victims of the forest fires that broke out in several Algerian provinces, extending its condolences to the Algerian people and government.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a telegram of condolences that it had received news of the death of dozens as a result of the fires burning in a number of regions in Algeria with great sadness.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry wished a speedy recovery to the injured and offered its condolences to the families of the victims and to the Algerian state and its brotherly and friendly people.
In the telegram, the ministry confirmed Turkey's readiness to provide all kinds of support to Algeria in order to confront the fires.
The death toll from forest fires in Algeria has risen to 37 in the provinces of El Tarf and Setif, in the east of the country, according to local media.
Yesterday, Wednesday, Interior Minister Kamal Beljoud said in a statement to state television that 24 deaths were recorded in the state of El Tarf (a border with Tunisia), in addition to two victims in the state of Setif.
He added that a number of fires were induced and others erupted from natural causes, without providing additional details.
Beljoud pointed out that at the beginning of August, 106 fires were recorded in several states, especially in the northeastern regions of the country, and an inventory of losses is currently being carried out.
Since the beginning of this month, according to Beljoud, the fires have destroyed more than 800 hectares (one hectare equals 10,000 square meters) of forests and more than 1,300 hectares of bushes.
He stated that the recent period witnessed a noticeable rise in temperatures, which reached 47 degrees in many states, with strong winds.
And earlier on Wednesday, the Algerian gendarmerie (affiliated with the Ministry of Defense) said in a statement that "a bus was burnt in the village of Al-Maliha on the road linking El Kala (the wilaya of El Tarf) and the wilaya of Annaba."
He continued, "According to preliminary information, unfortunately, the accident resulted in the death of eight people."
He appealed to road users to be careful and, if possible, to avoid walking on the roads adjacent to the forested areas, to avoid the risks related to fires and high temperatures.
The official Algerian radio also reported the death of a woman and a girl as a result of forest fires in the Ain El Sabt area of Setif.
The Civil Protection (Civil Defense) stated that its land and air teams are working to put out 39 fires in 14 states (out of 58 states), most of them in the northeastern regions of the country.
In a statement, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune offered his condolences to the families of the victims in El Tarf and Setif.
Tebboune stressed that government institutions should harness all human and material capabilities to put out fires and take care of the injured.
The fires coincided with a record heat wave that hit the northeastern states of Algeria, exceeding 45 degrees, and hot and strong southern winds.
The summer of 2021 was the most deadly, with at least 90 people killed in forest fires in the north of the country.