Twelve people have been killed in wildfires that swept through several Algerian provinces, Interior Minister Said Sayoud said late on Wednesday, amid a severe heatwave gripping North Africa.
The fatalities included five people in Jijel province, four in Bejaia and three in Tizi Ouzou.
Sayoud added that 54 people had suffered burn injuries, including six in critical condition who are currently in intensive care.
Algeria's civil protection services recorded 154 wildfires across the country on Wednesday. Thirty-six fires were reported in Bejaia province alone, of which 18 had been brought under control.
The fires come as an exceptional heatwave sweeps across North Africa, particularly Tunisia and Algeria.

Death toll mounts, more than 1,000 missing in Nepal and China after Himalayan flood
Car rams into pedestrians in France, kills 1, injures 10
Brazil sues Discord for $97 million over alleged failures to protect children
Trial for accused organiser of 9/11 attacks set for June 2028
Hundreds missing after flash flood on Nepal-Tibet border, 157 bodies recovered
WHO says Ebola outbreak in Uganda is over, as cases rise in Congo
At least 14 infants killed in Islamabad hospital fire
US says Chinese hackers broke into Justice Department, NASA and more
