Fire at orphanage in Algeria kills 11 and wounds 19

​Eleven people were killed and ​19 injured in a fire at an orphanage on the outskirts of ​the ‌Algerian capital early on ⁠Thursday, state media reported.

The fire broke out ‌at an orphanage in the ⁠Mohammadia district in the eastern suburbs of Algiers.

The civil defence was "continuing efforts to put out the fire", with the cause of the blaze unknown.

"The provisional toll is 11 dead," it said, without specifying the age of the victims.

Ten of the injured ​suffered burns of varying ‌severity, while emergency crews evacuated five people with disabilities from the orphanage to ‌safety, the civil protection agency said.

It ​said firefighting operations were continuing and did not immediately identify the victims, disclose ​their ages or say what ​caused the fire.

Algeria has ​been gripped by a heatwave in recent ​days, with civil protection units extinguishing 913 fires nationwide since July 8, state news agency APS reported on ⁠Wednesday, citing the General Directorate of Civil Protection.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP, Reuters)