In general silence, Algeria is devastated by almost 200 fires: around 70 dead and dozens seriously injured

While international cameras seem to be looking elsewhere, a silent drama is consuming eastern Algeria and the Kabylia mountains. An environmental and human catastrophe of immense proportions that almost no one is talking about. Almost 200 fires have affected the vegetation, driven by infernal temperatures and the continuous gusts of sirocco winds. The toll, dramatically provisional, already speaks of at least 69 confirmed victims, divided between 28 army soldiers sent to the front and 37 civilians, as well as dozens of seriously injured people crowding the medical facilities.

The drama of the El Milia hospital and the besieged provinces

The heart of the emergency is in the province of Jijel, where the hospital in the city of El Milia finds itself dealing with a veritable flood of burn and poisoned victims. Yet another hearth developed right next to the hospital, while the flames penetrated the urban perimeters of the municipalities of El Ansar, El Djemaa, Beni Habibi and Belhadf Sidi Maarouf. Extreme situations are also being experienced in the provinces of Béjaïa, Skikda, El Tarf, Tizi Ouzou, Annaba and Guelma, forcing thousands of families to immediately evacuate in the face of the unstoppable advance of the fire.

Emmanuel Macron’s air response and international intervention

To stem this disaster, the Algerian rescue forces have deployed a real attack fleet. The aerial assets include massive Mi-26 helicopters, AT-802 spotter aircraft and special BE-200 amphibious aircraft. Of the 193 fires in total, the Civil Protection managed to put out 147, but 46 outbreaks continue to devastate vegetation and threaten communities. Faced with the escalation, French President Emmanuel Macron sent two Canadair firefighting planes and a command aircraft to support the local fleet in containing the flames in the mountainous areas east of Algiers.

National mourning decreed by Abdelmadjid Tebboune for the Kabylia tragedy

Faced with the exceptional loss of human life, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune decreed three days of national mourning starting from Thursday to accompany the pain of the families affected. Most of the fallen lost their lives in a desperate attempt to protect the villages perched on the peaks of Tizi Ouzou, in the historically complex region of Kabylia. With shutdown and monitoring operations still in full swing, the entire Mediterranean basin faces one of its darkest chapters of the summer.