Algeria bus plunges into ravine near Algiers, killing 25; President Tebboune declares three days of national mourning

A passenger bus carrying families on a summer outing crashed into a ravine in the Boumerdès governorate, about 50 kilometres east of Algiers, at 9:41 a.m. on Friday. The Algerian Civil Protection confirmed a provisional toll of 25 dead and 44 injured. Rescue operations continued through the morning, with emergency teams deploying 11 ambulances and three rescue vehicles to extract dozens of passengers from the wreckage.

Flag at half-mast, iron fist against terrorists and criminals of the road.

Official response

President Abdelmadjid Tebboune proclaimed three days of national mourning beginning Friday, ordering flags flown at half-mast across the country. In a message of condolence, he expressed deep sorrow for the tragedy and offered condolences to the victims' families. Tebboune attributed the crash to what he called the scourge of "criminals and terrorists of the road" and assured that justice would act firmly once investigations conclude.

Prime Minister Sifi Ghrieb and Interior and Transport Minister Saïd Saïoud travelled to the crash site for an inspection visit. They later arrived at the University Hospital of Boumerdès, where some of the injured had been taken, to check on their conditions. Ennahar TV broadcast footage of the prime minister's hospital visit.

What happened on the road

The bus was en route from Sétif, a university city in eastern Algeria, to the coastal wilaya of Boumerdès when it went off the road at El Karma. Civil Protection said its teams were on site by 9:40 a.m. (8:40 GMT). Several families were aboard, including women and children. The injured were evacuated to nearby hospitals in the region.

A pattern of deadly crashes

The accident follows a series of fatal bus crashes in Algeria. In August 2025, a bus plunged into a river in the El Harrach district of Algiers after bursting through a guardrail, killing 18 and injuring 24. In July 2023, 34 people died in a collision between a bus and a commercial vehicle near Tamanrasset in the far south, followed by a large fire. In December 2025, a bus overturned in the Béchar region in the southwest, killing 14.

After the August 2025 El Harrach crash, the government announced it would withdraw passenger buses older than 30 years within six months. The transport ministry pledged to facilitate replacement of the oldest vehicles. Authorities also strengthened the regulatory framework on road safety, with amendments to the Highway Code that came into force at the start of this year, tightening sanctions for several violations.

Grim annual figures

Despite the regulatory push, fatal accidents have persisted. Algerian road safety authorities recorded 26,976 injury-causing accidents during 2025, a 2.68% increase on the previous year. A total of 3,838 people died and over 37,000 were injured on Algerian roads last year. Friday's crash has reopened debate on the effectiveness of measures adopted after previous tragedies and on the safety of passenger transport. The provisional toll may still rise as rescue and evacuation operations continue.