Flash floods have killed at least 29 people in an oasis in the Algerian desert. Forty-eight people were injured by the floods in Ghardaia, and one person is still listed as missing after rising waters swept through the town. Ghardaia lies 700 kms south of Algiers. It is an ancient fortified Berber oasis, home to about 100,000 people.

The Sahara settlement was swamped by the floods; the extent of the damage was obvious by the wreckage left by the receding waters. The desert oasis rarely sees such rains, which inundated the town in little more than 24 hours starting on Tuesday. Ghardaia is a World Heritage Site, and is a popular stop on the desert tourist trail.

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