At least 26 people, including a mother and daughter, have been killed by forest fires in northeastern Algeria, the interior ministry has said. The death toll was revised late on Wednesday, following an earlier report that eight people had died.
Most of the victims came from the province of Al Taref, where 16 fires are still blazing, according to the authorities. A 58-year-old woman and her 36-year-old daughter lost their lives in the neighbouring Setif province, they added.
Reports suggest that hundreds of people have been evacuated from their homes in Al Taref and Setif as a precaution. Interior minister Kamel Beldjoud claimed at the time that arsonists must have started the fires.
“Only criminal hands can be behind the simultaneous outbreak of about 50 fires across several localities,” he said.
Large-scale wildfires have broken out this year across the region, which has seen scorching temperatures and low rainfall.
Thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes in countries including France, Morocco and Spain.