Deadly flash floods hit nine provinces in Algeria

At least two people have died and dozens have been rescued or evacuated after flash floods hit nine provinces of Algeria on May 24, 2023. The severe weather event caused significant damage, with houses destroyed or damaged, vehicles swept from roads, and transport severely disrupted.

Flash floods swept across nine provinces of Algeria on May 24, 2023, resulting in at least two fatalities and causing widespread damage. Civil Protection teams were deployed to carry out numerous interventions, including rescuing and evacuating individuals from the affected areas.

The provinces of Algiers, Blida, Tébessa, Oum El Bouaghi, Tipaza, Boumerdes, El Tarf, Batna, and Guelma were all impacted by the floods. In Guelma Province, a young person died in the municipality of Bou Hachana due to the floodwaters. Civil Protection rescued at least 30 people trapped by flood waters in the district of Héliopolis.

In El Tarf, fifteen people were rescued after becoming trapped by flooding in agricultural fields in Basbas. Other individuals were rescued after vehicles were stranded in floods in Lazrou Municipality in Batna Province.

Some of the worst flooding was reported in Tipaza Province, where roads, vehicles, and buildings were destroyed or damaged. A young person died there after the wall of a house collapsed.

The floods occurred amidst stormy weather that also affected Spain on the opposite side of the Mediterranean Sea. The worst affected areas were in the municipality of Cartagena in the Murcia Region where emergency services participated in a dozen rescues of people trapped in vehicles in the urban area. Dozens of roads were closed, and local authorities also reported damage to beaches.

References:

¹ Algeria – 2 Dead After Flash Floods in 9 Provinces – FloodList – May 26, 2023

² Extreme rainfall in southern Spain: A century record broken, massive disruptions reported – The Watchers – May 26, 2023

Featured image credit: Algerian Civil Protection