Algerian bus plunges into ravine killing at least 27

A passenger bus has crashed into a ravine in northern Algeria, killing at least 27 people and injuring 39 others, according to the country’s health minister.

Travelling from the city of Setif to the capital Algiers on Friday, the bus skidded in the locality of El Karma, about 50km (30 miles) from its destination and plunged into a deep ravine.

Rescue teams were working at the scene with a constant flow of ambulances transporting the injured to nearby hospitals, as Health Minister Mohamed Seddik Ait Messaoudene warned that the death toll could rise further.

Ennahar TV reported that Prime Minister Sifi Ghrieb met with some of the injured taken to the University Hospital of Boumerdes.

President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has declared three days of national mourning, according to state television.

In a statement published by his office on social media, Tebboune said those responsible for the accident were “road criminals and terrorists”.

The justice system will “crack down with an iron fist and without any leniency” once the investigation into the accident has been completed, he added.

The Civil Protection agency said that the bus had left the road for unknown reasons.

Human factors, including speeding, are the main cause of crashes in the country, according to Algerian road safety authorities.

Last year, 3,838 people died, and more than 37,000 were injured in traffic accidents.

Tebboune also offered his condolences to the families of the victims.

Civil Protection said its teams responded to the accident at around 9:40am local time (08:40 GMT) to assist the victims of what is the deadliest accident in Algeria in recent years.

Last August, a bus plunged into a ravine near Algiers, killing 18 people and injuring 21 others.

In December, 14 people died when their bus overturned in the southern region of Bechar.