Anger erupts after Algeria quake

Residents kicked the president's car as it drove past

Grief has turned to anger in Algeria as recriminations mount against the government over what many see as its woefully inadequate response to the catastrophic earthquake.

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika was met with boos and stones on his arrival in Bourmedes, where nearly 1,000 people are believed to have died in Wednesday's quake.

Survivors who have lost their families and their homes are accusing the government of turning a blind eye to substandard construction - the reason, they say, why public housing was flattened while private homes remain standing.

There is anger at the lack of temporary housing in the stricken area, where thousands are sleeping in the open, and widespread discontentment with the rescue effort mounted by the Algerian authorities.

International rescuers are complaining about the lack of communication with the Algerian authorities and the delays in deployment to sites - only to find on arrival that other workers have already been sent.

"Its the lack of interpreters, lack of transport. I don't want to put the Algerian side down at all but its very difficult - they tell you one thing and you get there and its another thing," one rescue worker told the BBC.

"It's difficult, because the window of opportunity for finding people alive is fading very fast," he said.

As the death toll climbed to more than 1,875, there were glimmers of hope - but many of these quickly faded too.

The search goes on - but thousands are feared buried

An 11-year-old girl who was buried in what was a six-storey building managed to call out her name - Sabrina, and age, leading to a major operation by rescue workers on Saturday.

But as night fell, they had still not managed to find her, and no more noise could be heard from the site.

Only dead bodies have been recovered since a toddler, Emilie Kaidi, was plucked alive from a collapsed building on Friday.

Infrastructure wrecked

The relief effort is also being hampered by road damage and crowds of anxious relatives in the worst-hit areas.

ALGERIAN EARTHQUAKES

22 December 1999: 28 dead and 175 injured in north-west

18 August 1994: 172 dead and 288 injured in western region of Mascara

29 October 1989: 30 dead and 400 injured in Tipaza region

10 October 1980: About 3,000 dead and 8,000 injured and in al-Asnam

9 and 16 September 1954: 1,400 dead and 14,000 injured

Remote villages hit by the earthquake have proved particularly difficult to reach, with key roads badly cracked and blocked with debris.

After years of conflict between Islamic militants and the security forces the authorities are also reluctant to send rescuers into areas where they might not be safe.

Even Algerian engineers are repairing roads under armed escort.

Huge traffic jams are also causing delays as anxious relatives flock to the disaster area, with severed phone lines contributing to the chaos.

At a local hospital the situation was chaotic, with injured people pouring in, a BBC correspondent says. One doctor held his head in his hands and repeated the phrase "too much, too much!"

International effort

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies - which has a team of experts on the scene - is helping to co-ordinate relief efforts.

The agency has already requested $1.5m to provide assistance including medicines, food and blankets.

Drivers abandoned their cars and started running, without knowing where they were going

BBC's Mohamed Arezki Himeur

Eyewitness account

There is an urgent need for medicines and shelter, with more than 7,000 people injured.

The UN children's fund Unicef was set to send a plane carrying tents and emergency supplies for 120,000 people on Saturday.

Overnight, powerful after-shocks hitting Algiers and surrounding areas convinced many people to spend their third night in parks and open spaces.

In Reghaia, 35km (22 miles) east of Algiers, authorities requisitioned the municipal stadium, setting up tents for families whose houses were destroyed in the earthquake.

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Did you witness the earthquake?

Use the form below to send us your accounts, some of which will be published below.

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Thanks to God all my neighbours are still alive

Hacine Abdelkrim Skender, Algiers Algeria

The tremor that Algeria has witnessed was appalling for everybody, particularly for children. Thousands of houses were damaged, more than 90 buildings were devastated. At that time I was at the mosque waiting for the call to prayer. Suddenly I heard a terrible noise of a plane, the windows blew up and the wall collapsed. After the end of tremor everybody rushed into their house. Thanks to God all my neighbours are still alive, now we are spending nights in the streets
Hacine Abdelkrim Skender, Algiers Algeria

My boyfriend Karim Reffai is in the Casbah area of Algiers and I have not been able to contact him. I am so worried as I love him dearly.
Debbie Garcia, England

I've never seen such a thing in my life! This earthquake is unique. The walls seemed to move in all directions and the heavy sound they made while moving deafened us. Condolences to all the victims' families (including my dear teacher Mrs Oubraham Naima and her husband).
Amina B, Ben Aknoun, Algiers, Algeria

I just hope every one is ok back home

Dahmane, UK

I am originally form Thenia which is the epicentre and I have been trying since yesterday evening to call home but no luck, following the news on our Algerian TV which I found useless. I just hope every one is ok back home.
Dahmane, UK

Waves from the earthquake have arrived in Ibiza and Menorca (we're due north), and have been so strong that they have damaged vessels in the harbours here. I can't imagine what it must have been like in Algiers. Send them what help you can.
J. Roberts, Spain

It was the booming noise that first alerted us that something was wrong. However, before we had the chance to do anything the room was violently shaking. My wife took our baby and got under the dining room table. Two friends suggested we go outside. The first shock lasted two or three minutes and smashed plates in the kitchen and brought plaster and paint of the walls. There were some pretty big after shocks throughout the night. The state of many buildings is still uncertain with some having gaping cracks. We pray that there isn't another as lots of buildings in Algiers are unsafe and in disrepair. As I write we are still feeling the aftershocks.
Robert Bailey, Algiers, Algeria

I have never seen anything like it in my life and I'm not even sure if my family are still alive!
Polopy Husir, Algeria

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