Algeria The death toll from floods and mudslides in the Algerian capital increased dramatically to 750 Wednesday, as authorities switched from seeking survivors to locating bodies and cleaning up debris.
"There is no longer hope of finding survivors," Interior Minister Nourredine Yazid said, even as residents and rescue workers continued digging through mounds of mud on the narrow streets of Algiers.
Officials had put the number killed in the disaster at 585, but announced Wednesday that scores more had been declared dead, raising the toll to 750.
Dozens more people were still missing, and rescue workers searching for the dead were trying to crack mud grown rock-hard since the weekend floods.
Grief-stricken family members filed through two makeshift morgues one for the bodies of men, the other for women set up on the edge of the capital's El Alia cemetery. Coffins were labeled with the barest of details: "young man," "pregnant woman" or "infant."
Hospital emergency rooms have been overwhelmed by the injured and corridors jammed with people searching for relatives. Funeral services were being held continually at the El Alia cemetery and the capital's other big cemetery, El Kettar.
Residents say they are furious with what they call the government's lax response to the crisis. Local newspapers characterized the mood as tense, particularly in the devastated neighborhood of Bab el-Oued, where armed soldiers stood guard and quickly dispersed small groups that gathered for impromptu demonstrations.
"Algiers on High Alert," read Wednesday's front-page headline in the Liberte newspaper.
The torrential, 36-hour downpour began Friday, triggering a mudslide that ripped through several of the hilly capital's working-class neighborhoods, collapsing buildings, blocking roads, overturning vehicles and knocking out power.
The mud was 13 feet deep in the worst-hit areas. Thousands of families were forced to leave their homes.
Pope John Paul II joined the chorus of those expressing sympathy, sending his condolences to "the dear peoples of Algeria."
"While I entrust to the generous mercy of God all those who have tragically died, I express my spiritual closeness to their families and to all who suffer because of the grave calamity," the pope said Wednesday.
The French government said Tuesday it was sending a cargo plane with tents, beds, blankets and water purification equipment capable of providing drinking water for about 100,000 people per day. It also was sending four teams of rescue experts and their dogs. Tunisia also planned to send two planes filled with medicine, blankets and food.
The Algerian government has said it would offer housing and financial assistance to those hardest hit by the devastating rainstorm.
The flood followed a prolonged drought that had forced water-rationing since mid-October. Skies were overcast Wednesday, and weather forecasts predicted that rain would resume in the evening and last several days.