Algeria gas explosion…At least five killed and 16 wounded

The civil defense reported that a gas blast on Saturday killed five people and wounded 16 others in the western Algerian city of El Bayadh; it added that two houses were damaged.

It also declared that saving teams researched the debris of the two houses destroyed by the explosion to search for other possible casualties, and adding that six other homes were destroyed.

Local media, citing an official from the electricity and gas authority, declared that the blast happened when a pipeline delivering gas to the area was damaged during construction work. According to footage broadcast on television stations, the explosion caused a fire.

The APS news agency related that Algeria’s President Abdelmadjid Tebboune sent the ministers of health, energy and transportation to travel to El Bayadh, and gave an order to investigation into the explosion.