Wildfires in Algeria have left 42 people including 25 soldiers dead, the government said. The soldiers died saving residents from the forest fire, as thick plumes of smoke covered most of the mountainous areas toward the east of Algeria’s capital.
President Abdelmadjid Tebboune tweeted that the soldiers were “martyrs” as they saved 100 people from the fires in two areas of Kabyle, a region home to the population of Berber ethnic group in the North African nation. Prime Minister Aïmene Benabderrahmane later asked for international aid on the matter on state TV.
Image: Ryad Kramdi/AFP
Interior Minister Kamel Beldjoud accused arsonists of starting fires across Northern Algeria but he provided no details on the allegations. He further mentioned;
Only criminal hands can be behind the simultaneous outbreak of about 50 fires across several localities.
The Kablye region, 100 kilometers (60 miles) east of Algeria’s capital Algiers, has many villages which are difficult to access and those areas are prone to shortage of water. Although the residents of the Tizi Ouzou region in Kabylie tried their best to stop the forest fire using buckets, branches and rudimentary tools, all in vain.
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A 92-year-old woman living in the Kabyle mountain village of Ait Saada said that the scene on the night of August 9 looked like “the end of the world,” as it was so overwhelming.
Climate scientists say there is little doubt climate change from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas is driving extreme events, such as heatwaves, droughts, wildfires, floods and storms. A worsening drought and heat — both linked to climate change — are driving wildfires in the U.S. West and Russia’s northern region of Siberia. Extreme heat is also fueling the massive fires in Greece and Turkey.
Only time will tell the plight of the planet and all of its inhabitants amidst the ongoing crisis on all fronts!
Via: The Guardian