Tragic Landslide in Algeria Claims Four Lives, Including a Mother and Her Three Children
A Deadly Landslide in Oran's Sidi El Houari District Highlights Risks of Fragile Housing Amid Public Outrage Over Neglected Warning Signs.
Watan-In a tragedy that shocked Algeria, four people died, and 13 others were injured in a landslide incident that occurred from Saturday night to Sunday morning, which led to the collapse of fragile tin houses in the Pine neighborhood (known as Planter) in Oran, western Algeria.
Civil Protection authorities reported that the final toll from the incident reached four deaths from one family (a mother and three children). The collapse also injured 13 other people, aged between 12 and 75 years, who were given first aid and transferred to the hospital.
According to the same source, the incident led to the collapse of five tin houses in a place called “Ard Shabat” in the municipality and district of Oran, where the rescue operation began around midnight. To retrieve the victims, 150 Civil Protection personnel from various ranks, four trucks, five ambulances, and a search and rescue team for rugged areas, along with a team supported by trained dogs, were deployed.
Oran Landslide Caught Residents Off Guard, Despite Warnings of Danger
According to footage captured at the scene, there was widespread grief among the residents who were caught off guard by the landslide while many were busy watching the Spanish “El Clasico” match in their homes.
Some residents reported on social media the angry cries of the locals, who confirmed that they had noticed dangerous cracks and a hole above one of the slopes days earlier and had notified the authorities but received no response. One resident said emotionally: “We were expecting a disaster… but no one did anything until we were struck by it.”
According to government media, a ministerial delegation arrived in the Oran region to assess the damage caused by the landslide in the Pine tin neighborhood, including the Minister of Interior, Minister of Housing, Director-General of National Security, and Director-General of Civil Protection.
The city of Oran, Algeria’s second-largest city, is known for the fragility of some of its buildings, some of which date back to the Ottoman and Spanish eras. Experts have repeatedly raised concerns about the expected collapse of old buildings.
Recently, the local authorities have begun demolition and renovation operations on some buildings that pose a danger to their inhabitants.
