At least 25 people were killed and dozens more injured on Friday morning when a bus travelling from Sétif to Algiers veered off the road and plunged down an embankment near the coastal town of Boumerdès, roughly 50 kilometres east of the capital. At least 11 ambulances ferried the wounded to hospitals, where many remain in serious condition.
President Abdelmadjid Tebboune declared three days of national mourning with flags at half-staff across the country, attributing the disaster to what he called the scourge of "criminals and terrorists of the road." Prime Minister Sifi Ghrieb visited a university hospital in Boumerdès to check on survivors. Authorities have opened an investigation into the cause of the crash.
Algeria has seen deadly road accidents before; last summer a bus plunged into a river near Algiers, killing 18 people and injuring 21.