The Associated Press

Thu, Oct 2, 2008 (8:18 a.m.)

Torrential rains in the Algerian desert created flash floods that drowned 29 people and injured more than 80 others, an Algerian health official reported Thursday.

Hundreds of people had to be rescued by helicopter and some 600 houses were destroyed in the rains Tuesday and Wednesday around the historic town of Ghardaia, the official APS news agency said.

"Following these floods, we can sadly declare that 29 people have died and 84 been injured, and state services are providing support to other victims," Ali Belkhir, the country's head of public health, told national radio.

Ghardaia, some 370 miles (600 kilometers) south of Algiers, is the seat of the Mozabite people, who practice a dissident form of Islam. The town lies on the edge of the Sahara Desert and is listed as a UNESCO world heritage site.

The storms this week caused a local wadi _ or seasonal river that remains dry for most of the year _ to rise up to 26 feet (8 meters) deep within hours, APS said.

In neighboring Morocco, the MAP news agency reported that two people drowned and several were missing in similar floods near the southern city of Marrakech.