KABUL (Pajhwok): At least 27 people have been killed and 39 others injured after a passenger bus plunged into a ravine in northern Algeria, officials said.
The bus was travelling from the city of Setif to the capital Algiers on Friday when it skidded off the road in the El Karma locality, about 50 kilometres from Algiers, and fell into a deep ravine, Al Jazeera reported.
Rescue teams rushed to the scene, while ambulances transported the injured to nearby hospitals. Health Minister Mohamed Seddik Ait Messaoudene warned that the death toll could rise.
Ennahar TV reported that Prime Minister Sifi Ghrieb visited some of the injured at the University Hospital of Boumerdes.
President Abdelmadjid Tebboune declared three days of national mourning following the accident.
In a statement published by his office on social media, Tebboune described those responsible for road accidents as “road criminals and terrorists” and said the justice system would take strict action after the investigation was completed.
Algeria’s Civil Protection agency said the bus left the road for unknown reasons.
According to Algerian road safety authorities, human factors, particularly speeding, are among the main causes of road accidents in the country.
Last year, 3,838 people were killed and more than 37,000 injured in traffic accidents in Algeria.
The accident is reportedly the deadliest in Algeria in recent years. In August last year, a bus plunged into a ravine near Algiers, killing 18 people and injuring 21 others.
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