good news iran: Tehran sympathizes with Algeria over massive wildfire

In a statement on Thursday, the Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman expressed his regret over the widespread fire in the Algerian forests which killed dozens of soldiers and civilians, injuring a number of citizens.

Saeed Khatibzadeh offered sympathy to the Algerian nation and government and the families affected by the catastrophe and wished health to the victims.

Wildfires tearing through forested areas of northern Algeria have killed at least 65 people, state television reported on Wednesday, as some of the most destructive blazes in the country’s history continued to rage, CBC reported.

The government has deployed the army to help fight the fires, which have burned most fiercely in the mountainous Kabylie region, and 28 of the dead are soldiers, with another 12 critically injured with burns.

President Abdelmadjid Tebboune declared three days of national mourning for the dead and froze state activities not related to the fires.

Forest fires have set large parts of Algeria, Turkey, and Greece aflame over the past week, and a European Union atmosphere monitor said the Mediterranean had become a wildfire hot spot aided by increasingly hot weather.

RHM/FNA/14000521000117/PR