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The death toll from Algeria's devastating earthquake exceeded 1,600 and is expected to rise further, Algerian Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia said on Friday.
Ouyahia told a press conference that the toll is going to get worse, and attributed heavy loss of life to the high population density in the worst-hit region.
More than 7,200 people were injured the quake and hundreds are still missing. Hopes of finding survivors in the debris are fast diminishing.
Wednesday night's earthquake, which measured 6.7 on the Richterscale, was the worst quake that hit Algeria since 1980. It was followed by more than 200 aftershocks, some as strong as 5.7 and 4.8 on the Richter scale. The epicenter of the tremor is said to be some 70 km east of the capital city of Algiers.
(People?s Daily May 24, 2003)
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