CAIRO, October 3 (RIA Novosti) - At least 31 people were killed and around 50 injured as floods swept the Algerian province of Ghardaia, 600 km (373 miles) to the south of capital Algiers, local media reported Friday.

The flooding, caused by heavy rains, began Wednesday and has damaged most districts in the province, leaving thousands of people homeless.

The government has already begun humanitarian aid deliveries to the province, providing more than 400 metric tons of food, blankets and medicine, and thousands of tents.

The weather was forecast to improve Friday, and Algerian army detachments had been sent to the disaster-stricken areas to prevent possible acts of looting.