ALGIERS, Oct 2, 2008 (AFP) - Flash floods in eastern Algeria killed at least 13 people and damaged 600 homes the interior minister said Thursday, warning of higher casualties.

Wednesday's floods followed incessant rain in the Ghardaia region, about 500 kilometres (300 miles) south of Algiers.

'The figure I was given before I left Algiers was 13 dead and one missing,' said Noureddine Yazid Zerhouni who toured the area and set up an emergency relief centre.

'Sadly, the figure could be higher,' APS news agency quoted him as saying.

He said the government priority was to provide aid to the affected populations, adding that between '300 and 600' homes had been damaged.

'The bakeries are shut, there is neither gas nor electricity, the shops are flooded and their stocks are probably unusable,' he said.

Several areas in Algeria were lashed by heavy rain over two days including Djelfa -- midway between Ghardaia and Algiers -- where two people died.