Following the horrific fire that destroyed a foster home in El Mohammadia, intense grief persists across Algeria. Following directives from the President of the Republic, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, Prime Minister Saifi Gharib attended the funerals on Thursday for the eleven young victims of the disaster, as the nation demands answers regarding the circumstances of this catastrophe.
Commissioned by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, the Prime Minister led a prominent official delegation—comprising several cabinet members and senior state dignitaries—to accompany these children to their final resting place.
The funeral procession made its way to the Sidi Rzine cemetery, located in the municipality of Baraki, where ten of the youngsters were laid to rest amid widespread sorrow. Meanwhile, relatives accompanied the eleventh child to the Boudouaou cemetery for burial.
Standing before the remains, the Prime Minister paid a solemn tribute, conveying the profound grief of the entire nation and praying for the Almighty to grant mercy to these innocent souls, while also offering wishes for a speedy recovery to the young survivors currently receiving hospital care.
This disaster, which has cast a shroud of mourning over the entire country, unfolded in the middle of the night when flames suddenly trapped the residents of the El Mohammadia childcare facility in Algiers.
The institution, which provides shelter to children deprived of family care, rapidly turned into a trap of fire and smoke.
Despite the prompt intervention of Civil Protection teams to contain the blaze and evacuate the premises, the toll proved devastatingly heavy, claiming eleven young lives and leaving several others injured, suffering from smoke inhalation, or dealing with thermal and psychological shock.
As families, loved ones, and care staff attempt to process the horror, an investigation is underway to determine the exact causes of this destructive fire.
This national tragedy has triggered an immense wave of solidarity across the country, alongside urgent public demands to drastically reinforce safety protocols within all facilities housing vulnerable individuals.