At least 25 people have died and more than 40 have been injured in a road accident this morning in Boumerdès province, just outside Algiers, where a passenger bus left the road and overturned, ending up in a ditch.
According to the Civil Protection Agency, the accident occurred at 9:41 a.m. Initial information indicated that the bus was coming from the province of Sétif, in the east of the country, and was headed to the coastal wilaya of Boumerdès as part of a summer outing. Several families, including women and children, were on board.
Following the tragedy, Algerian Prime Minister Sifi Ghrieb and Minister of the Interior and Transport Saïd Saïoud visited the scene for an inspection. They then went to the Boumerdès University Hospital to assess the condition of the injured.
The accident brings to mind the one that occurred last August in El Harrach, Algiers, when a bus plunged into the river, killing 18 and injuring 24. Following that tragedy, the government announced the withdrawal of passenger buses over 30 years old within six months. The decision was made at the direction of President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and accompanied by a commitment from the Ministry of Transport to facilitate the replacement of older vehicles. The move came amid strong criticism of the management of public transport and the safety conditions of the buses.
Authorities in Algiers have also strengthened the regulatory framework for road safety, with an amendment to the Highway Code that came into force earlier this year and increased penalties for several violations.
The new provisions aimed to strengthen compliance and reduce road accidents. Despite these measures and the interventions announced after previous tragedies, fatal accidents continue to occur, reopening the debate on the safety of passenger transport and the effectiveness of measures adopted to prevent them.
(Unioneonline)