Floods hit Algeria by Penny Tranter
Flooding from five days of torrential rain in Algeria has killed eleven people with scores of others missing.
The worst affected areas were across parts of northern, central and western Algeria where flash floods swamped roads and swelled rivers to bursting point. Dozens of roads were washed away and motorists were urged to take alternative routes as officials closed the main Algiers to Tipaza motorway.
Two people died and another eight were seriously injured when a bridge at Beni Messous, in the western suburbs of the capital, Algiers, collapsed.
In and around the capital, authorities reported 29 landslides and dozens of homes collapsed from the intense downpours. Power cuts and damage to rail networks were also reported. In Blida Province (50 km west of Algiers) several schools were used as make-shift shelters to house dozens of families who had lost their homes.
The downpours, which have almost been continuous since Saturday, are expected to continue as forecasters predict further storms across the affected areas through the rest of today.
Algeria has a predominantly dry climate with mild winters and very hot summers, but rare and severe storms are not completely uncommon during late autumn and winter. In November 2001, severe thunderstorms produced flooding that killed 800 people and left a trail of destruction mainly across the north of the country.
