Italy Expresses Solidarity with Algeria After Deadly Mohammadia Child Care Centre Fire

Italy Expresses Solidarity with Algeria After Deadly Mohammadia Child Care Centre Fire

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has extended her condolences to Algeria following the deadly fire at the Mohammadia Child Care Institution that claimed 11 lives, joining a growing list of international leaders expressing solidarity as Algerian authorities continue emergency response efforts, an investigation into the blaze and support for victims and their families.

BY Dr. Hana Saada

ALGIERS –  Italy has expressed its solidarity with Algeria following the deadly fire that struck the Mohammadia Child Care Institution in Algiers, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni extending her condolences to the victims’ families and reaffirming Rome’s support for the Algerian people during the national tragedy.

In a message published Friday on her official X account, Meloni said she was conveying her deepest sympathies on behalf of both herself and the Italian government following the fire, which claimed 11 lives and left 19 others injured.

“On behalf of myself and the Italian Government, I extend my heartfelt condolences for the victims of the tragic fire that broke out at the Mohammadia Child Care Institution,” the Italian prime minister said.

Meloni also expressed Italy’s “full solidarity” with the families of the victims, those injured in the incident and all those enduring what she described as “these difficult hours filled with grief and anxiety.”

She further reaffirmed Italy’s solidarity with President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and the Algerian people as the country continues to mourn the victims of one of its deadliest institutional fires in recent years.

International messages of support

Italy joins a number of countries that have expressed sympathy following the tragedy.

During President Tebboune’s official visit to Berlin, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz offered his condolences to the Algerian president and the Algerian people during a joint press conference after learning of the fire.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia also issued an official statement expressing its sincere condolences and solidarity with Algeria, extending its sympathies to the families of the victims and wishing those injured a speedy recovery.

National response

President Tebboune, who returned from Germany on Friday, travelled directly from the airport to the Zéralda Burns Hospital, where he visited survivors of the fire and received briefings from medical staff overseeing their treatment.

Earlier, the President had issued a message of condolence, mourning the loss of what he described as “the children of Algeria” and praying for the recovery of those injured.

Acting on the President’s instructions, Prime Minister Sifi Ghrieb visited hospitals treating the victims, conveyed the President’s condolences to bereaved families, and later attended the funeral of the victims alongside several members of the government.

Meanwhile, Minister of National Solidarity, Family and Women’s Affairs Soraya Mouloudji announced an emergency overhaul of safety procedures across child care institutions nationwide, including the creation of a national risk management unit, enhanced fire prevention measures and strengthened emergency response protocols.

The Directorate General of National Security (DGSN) said preliminary investigations indicate that the fire was likely caused by an electrical malfunction involving an air-conditioning unit, while stressing that the judicial investigation remains ongoing.