Eleven killed and 19 injured in Algerian orphanage fire as blaze rips through building

Eleven people have died and 19 others were injured after a fire tore through an orphanage in Algeria, according to local authorities. The blaze broke out at around 3.30am on Thursday at a childcare facility in the Mohammadia district.

Civil defence officials said the death toll stood at 11 as firefighters continued efforts to bring the blaze under control. The cause of the fire remains unknown. Ten people suffered burns of varying severity, while five people with disabilities were safely evacuated from the orphanage.

Authorities have not identified the victims or disclosed their ages.

Images released by authorities show thick smoke billowing from the building as firefighters battled the blaze.

Algeria has been gripped by a heatwave in recent days, with state news agency APS reporting that civil protection units had extinguished 913 fires nationwide since July 8, citing the General Directorate of Civil Protection.