ALGIERS: A fire sparked by an electrical fault killed 18 African migrants and injured 43 others Tuesday at a camp in Algeria, emergency services and the Red Crescent said.

The blaze began before dawn at the camp housing about 600 migrants in Ouargla, 800 km southeast of Algiers.

The victims’ nationalities were not immediately known.

“The fire broke out at 3 a.m. (0200 GMT), killing 18 people and wounding 43,” Col. Farouk Achour said by telephone.

Saida Benhabiles, president of the Algerian Red Crescent, said the fire was sparked by a short circuit.

“A short circuit triggered the explosion of a heater and the fire,” Benhabiles told AFP.

She said that 27 people were still being treated in hospital.

The emergency services rushed to the scene to extinguish the fire.

The authorities have opened an investigation.

Since Libya descended into chaos in its 2011 uprising, Algeria has become a top North African destination for sub-Saharans seeking a better life.

Benhabiles said that more than 4,000 migrants from Niger have been returned to their country by Algeria since 2014.