At least 25 people have been confirmed dead and 44 others injured after a passenger bus crashed and overturned in Algeria’s Boumerdès province on Friday, making it one of the country’s deadliest road accidents in recent years.
According to Algeria’s Civil Protection agency, the bus was travelling from Setif province to the capital, Algiers, when it was involved in what authorities described as a “tragic” road accident.
Emergency officials said the bus reportedly skidded off the road before plunging into a ravine and overturning in northern Algeria.
Rescue teams rushed to the scene, where dozens of emergency workers and local residents joined efforts to pull survivors from the wreckage.
The injured were evacuated to nearby hospitals for treatment, while officials warned that the death toll could still rise as rescue operations continued.
Videos from the scene showed the badly damaged coach lying at the bottom of the ravine as rescuers deployed a crane in an attempt to reach anyone who might still have been trapped inside.
Other footage captured large crowds gathering around the crash site, with several people climbing onto the overturned bus to search the wreckage while emergency personnel coordinated rescue efforts.
Algerian Prime Minister Sifi Ghrieb visited the scene shortly after the accident, where he received briefings from emergency responders overseeing the operation.
Authorities have yet to determine the exact cause of the crash.
In response to the tragedy, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune declared three days of national mourning, according to state television.
Civil Protection said emergency teams were dispatched to the crash scene at approximately 9:40 a.m. local time (8:40 GMT) to assist victims of what has become the country’s deadliest traffic accident in recent years.
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