Algeria wildfires kill two, force evacuations

ALGIERS:

Two people were killed and several others injured on Wednesday as forest fires ravaged parts of northeastern Algeria, civil protection authorities and media said.

An eight-year-old boy and a 22-year-old woman died near the city of Bejaia, Radio Soumam reported.

Interior Minister Said Sayoud and Health Minister Mohamed Seddik Ait Messaoudene travelled to Bejaia to assess firefighting operations and the condition of those hurt, the official news agency APS said.

Numerous families were evacuated in several provinces, including Bejaia and Jijel, as flames approached populated areas, various sources said.