At least 12 dead as wildfires sweep through northern Algeria

At least 12 people have been killed and dozens injured as wildfires burn through large swathes of northern Algeria.

Civil protection authorities said dozens of blazes swept through several provinces along the country's northern coastline.

At least 54 people had suffered burn injuries, with at least six of them being treated in intensive care, Interior Minister Said Sayoud said on Wednesday night.

The deaths comes as northern Africa swelters under a severe heatwave, with Tunisia and Algeria particularly affected.

Sayoud said five people were killed in Jijel province, four in Bejaia and three in Tizi Ouzou.

He has travelled to Bejaia with the Algerian Health Minister Mohamed Seddik Ait Messaoudene to "assess" local firefighting and evacuation efforts, government officials said.

Many homes in Bejaia and Jijel have been evacuated, according to the civil protection agency and local media.

Footage shared by local broadcaster Jijel News showed residents taking refuge in a post office as thick clouds of smoke billowed around them.