A bus traveling from Setif to Algiers plunged into a deep ravine on Friday in El Karma, about 50 kilometers from the Algerian capital. The provisional death toll stands at at least 27, with 39 injured, according to the Minister of Health.
The bus left the road for reasons still unknown, according to the Algerian Civil Protection agency, which dispatched its teams to the scene at 9:40 a.m. (local time). Ambulances were continuously transporting the injured to hospitals in the region. The Minister of Health, Mohamed Seddik Aït Messaoudène, warned that the death toll could still rise.
Prime Minister Sifi Ghrieb visited some of the injured hospitalized at the Boumerdès University Hospital. President Abdelmadjid Tebboune declared three days of national mourning and offered his condolences to the victims' families.
In a statement released on social media, Tebboune called those responsible for the accident "road criminals and terrorists." He added that justice "will be served with an iron fist and without any leniency" once the investigation is complete.
Algerian road safety authorities regularly point to human factors, particularly excessive speed, as the main cause of accidents in the country. Last year, 3,838 people lost their lives on Algerian roads and more than 37,000 were injured.
The accident is described as the deadliest in Algeria in several years. Last August, a bus plunged into a ravine near Algiers, killing 18 and injuring 21. In December, 14 people died when a coach overturned in the southern region of Béchar.
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