Algeria: arson suspects arrested over deadly forest fires

A view of the forest fires that swept through several states including Bouira, Algeria on July 24, 2023 [Fazil Abd Erahim – Anadolu Agency]

The Public Prosecutor of the Judicial Council of Algeria’s Bejaia Province announced yesterday that 14 suspected arsonists have been arrested in connection with deadly forest fires that have killed 34 people. The suspects will be charged with committing criminal acts and put on trial. The death toll includes ten army personnel and 24 civilians.

Algeria’s civil defence teams continue to try to extinguish the fires in 13 areas across seven provinces. The areas where the fires have been extinguished remain under surveillance by the authorities in case they reignite.

According to the interior ministry, 80 per cent of the forest fires that have been raging for days in the country have been extinguished.

READ: Wildfires kill 34 in Algeria as heat wave sweeps North Africa

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