At least 25 Algerian soldiers and 17 civilians have been killed in wildfires to the east of the capital Algiers, the country’s prime minister has said.
Several more soldiers were injured fighting the fires, in the forested Kabylie region.
Fires have caused devastation in several Mediterranean countries in recent days, including Turkey, Greece, Lebanon and Cyprus.
Climate change increases the risk of the hot, dry weather that is likely to fuel wildfires.
More than 100 fires have been reported across 17 Algerian provinces, the country’s official news agency APS said on Tuesday evening.
President Abdelmadjid Tebboune paid tribute to the soldiers who were killed, tweeting that they had succeeded in rescuing more than 100 people from the mountains of Bejaia and Tizi Ouzou. END