A passenger bus carrying between 50 and 60 people skidded off a road and toppled into a deep ravine in Boumerdes Province, east of the capital Algiers on Friday, killing at least 25 and injuring 44 others, the authorities said. Algeria’s Civil Protection agency reported that the bus carrying pilgrims from Stif to the northern coastal town of Boumerdes veered off the road under circumstances still being investigated by authorities who believe an accident was caused by loss of control over the bus on a winding and steep road.
Rescuers worked overnight to free survivors from the wrecked bus which lay crushed on its side in the deep ditch while transporting more people critically wounded and bodies from the bus’s crushed rear compartments into ambulances.
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Doctors worked for hours with dozens to retrieve critical casualties and those severely wounded from the coach and transfer them into nearby hospitals for surgery, while officials, including Interior Minister and Prime Minister announced that due to the critical conditions of the wounded the number of casualties could eventually rise, and investigation was launched.
The accident that took place Friday was considered to be amongst the worst road fatalities witnessed in the North African country in many years which has a recorded number of deaths numbering thousands every year.
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President Abdelmadjid Tebboune announced three days of national mourning, sent his condolences to the victims and reiterated its commitment to curb the rising road fatalities within the country by stepping up the security and the policing on roads across the nation.
