Explosion in western Algeria claimed five lives

A gas blast on Saturday killed five people and injured 16 in the city of El Bayad in western Algeria, the civil defense service told The Eastern Herald, adding that two houses were destroyed.

Rescuers combed through the rubble of two houses demolished by the blast in search of other possible victims, and six other houses were damaged.

A spokesman for the Electricity and Gas Authority, said the explosion occurred when a pipeline carrying gas to the area was damaged during construction work.

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has sent ministers of health, energy, and transport to Bayad and ordered an investigation into the explosion.