Looters shoot soldier in quake-stricken city

Press, 18 October 1980, Page 9

Looters shoot soldier in quake-stricken city

NZPA-Reuter Algeria A young soldier is fighting for his life in the earth-quake-stricken city of El Asnam, after being shot by looters trying to eteal banknotes from the vaults of a ruined bank, reliable sources have said.

The sources, who returned from El Asnam earlier this week, said the looters fled after opening fire with a sub-machine-gun on the solider who had challenged them. He was hit by four bullets.

On Wednesday night, three looters were shot after being surprised by a patrol, according to the sources who were involved in the relief operations. The official news agency A.P.S. said: “Reports that looting was taking place in the disaster area (of El Asnam) which have been published by a news agency are totally unfounded.”

A.P.S. pointed out that a presidential decree published this week imposed sentences of up to 20 years imprisonment for looting or stealing supplies being sent to the disaster area. The decree added that capital punishment could be imposed if the crimes w6re of exceptional gravity or violence.

The police in El Asnam said on Monday that looting had taken place and that several offenders had been arrested, most of them for petty larceny. The Algerian President (Mr Chadli Benjedid) has placed the disaster area under military administration. Authorities insisted that this was not martial law. However, the Army has been made responsible for maintaining law and order. Offenders are brought before a civilian court of three judges, created specially to.

deal with looters caught in the act. Meanwhile, rain fell on the shattered remains of El Asnam yesterday for the first time since the tremors, adding to the misery of the thousands of homeless still camping inside the devastated city.

Some of the survivors are still waiting by the side of their destroyed, homes to identify their missing relatives, believed to be trapped under the piles of rubble. Others are mounting guard on what remains of their houses, in the hope of salvaging possessions when the debris is cleared.

The savage earthquake which hit a week ago has left at least 6000 dead — although the final death toll is expected to be much higher — several thousand injured and between 200,000 and 300,000 homeless.