At least thirty eight people have died and several dozen were injured in forest fires that affected Wednesday 14 departments in northern Algeria, reviving the spectre of the summer of 2021, the deadliest in the country's modern history.

"Twenty six people died: two in Setif (east) and 24 in El Tarf (east), near the border with Tunisia, Interior Minister Kamel Beldjoud announced during the 8:00 p.m. news). That number was later revised to 38 Thursday morning.

Several people suffered burns or breathing difficulties but no new official figure was given on the number of injured.

A previous report by the civil protection said that four people had various degrees of burns and 41 others suffered from breathing difficulties in Souk Ahras, another border town with Tunisia. Television images showed residents of the city fleeing their homes in the face of flames.