Algeria Mobilises Army To Deal With Snow Deluge

Algeria in North Africa that includes the Sahara has been forced to mobilise the army to deal with the high level of snowfall in recent days that have so far caused the deaths of eight people.

The North African nation, the fourth most-visited country on the continent after Morocco, South Africa and Tunisia, has been battered with snowfall, causing chaos to roads and infrastructure.

Authorities in Algeria, ranked among the top 80 countries in the world in 2018 by the US News & World Report, called in the army to help clear some of the snow.

Credit: CEN/ANP
The army was mobilised to clean the snow

A Ministry of Defence statement said: “Following the harsh weather conditions which were accompanied with heavy snowfall in the northern regions of the country, soldiers of the Algerian People’s National Army (ANP) have intervened to help open roads after the initial hours of snowfall.”

The snowstorm caused at least eight weather-related deaths and more than 27 people were injured because of the heavy rains and icy conditions, according to the national security directorate. 

According to local media, the army was deployed along the 137 Highway close to the province of Jijel which connects the towns of Khnag El-Djemaa, Bir-Ghezala and El Kebaba.

It is hoped that their efforts will relieve the strain on local roads and help services return to normal duty.

Credit: CEN/ANP
The army was mobilised to clean the snow

According to reports, the main routes between connecting provinces have been blocked for several days due to the extreme weather conditions and thick snow.

In January last year, snow fell on the Sahara desert and covered dunes in an icy layer that was reportedly 40 centimetres deep.

Snow also fell in the Algerian town of Ain Sefra and it was the third time in nearly 40 years that the town, known as ‘The Gateway to the Desert’, had seen snowfall. 


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Story By: Anastasia TsougkaSub-EditorJoseph Golder,  Agency: Central European News

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