Storm Toll Rises to 579 as Heavy Rains Continue

Rain battered northern Algeria for a fourth day as the storm death toll climbed to at least 579. Residents and rescuers were drenched as they searched through mud and rubble for survivors.

The torrential downpours triggered a mudslide that ripped through several working-class neighborhoods in the hilly capital, Algiers, collapsing buildings, blocking roads, overturning vehicles and knocking out power.

Emergency rooms in Algiers were overwhelmed with injured patients. At least 4,000 families were left homeless, and an unknown number of people were unaccounted for, Interior Minister Nourredine Yazid Zerhouni told state-run radio.