343 die as fierce storms lash Algeria

Algiers - The Algerian government said yesterday the death toll from fierce storms that swept the country had killed at least…

Algiers - The Algerian government said yesterday the death toll from fierce storms that swept the country had killed at least 343 people, injured more than 300, and left at least 4,000 families homeless.

Rescuers continued to search in clinging mud and through piles of debris for survivors, as the French government said it was sending a team of around 60 civil defence experts to help their Algerian colleagues. Many homes collapsed in the havoc caused on Saturday by torrential rain, ferocious winds and mudslides.