At least 27 killed as bus plunges into ravine in Algeria

A passenger bus travelling from Setif to Algiers plunged into a ravine in northern Algeria on Friday, killing at least 27 people and injuring 39, Health Minister Mohamed Seddik Ait Messaoudene said, according to Al Jazeera.

The bus skidded in the locality of El Karma, about 50km from Algiers, before falling into a deep ravine, the report said. Algeria’s Civil Protection agency said the bus left the road for unknown reasons.

Rescue teams were working at the scene as ambulances continuously transported injured people to nearby hospitals. Ait Messaoudene warned that the death toll could rise further, and Ennahar TV reported that Prime Minister Sifi Ghrieb met some of the injured at the University Hospital of Boumerdes.

President Abdelmadjid Tebboune declared three days of national mourning, state television reported, and offered condolences to victims’ families. In a statement published by his office on social media, Tebboune called those responsible for the accident “road criminals and terrorists” and said the justice system would “crack down with an iron fist and without any leniency” after the investigation is completed.

Algerian road safety authorities say human factors, including speeding, are the main cause of crashes in the country. Last year, 3,838 people died and more than 37,000 were injured in traffic accidents in Algeria; last August, a bus plunged into a ravine near Algiers, killing 18 people, and in December 14 people died when a bus overturned in Bechar.