At Least 25 Killed After Passenger Bus Overturns and Plunges into Ravine

At least 25 people were killed and 44 others injured after a passenger bus skidded off a road and plunged into a deep ravine in northern Algeria on Friday.

The bus was carrying passengers from Sétif province to the Algerian capital of Algiers when it crashed in the Berrahmoun El-Karma area of Boumerdès province, approximately 30 miles east of the capital.

Algeria’s Civil Protection agency described the crash as a “tragic” traffic accident and said the preliminary death toll could rise as emergency operations continued.

Rescue teams responded at approximately 9:40 a.m. local time and found the overturned coach lying at the bottom of the ravine.

Dramatic footage from the scene showed emergency workers bringing in a crane as they attempted to reach anyone who might still be trapped inside the wreckage.

Dozens of local residents and rescue workers surrounded the mangled bus, while several men climbed onto the overturned vehicle and peered through openings into the passenger area.

A steady stream of ambulances transported the injured to hospitals in Boumerdès, Thénia and El Harrach. Some victims were admitted to the University Hospital of Boumerdès.

Prime Minister Sifi Ghrieb traveled to the crash site with a high-level ministerial delegation after receiving instructions from President Abdelmadjid Tebboune. Ghrieb spoke with emergency crews before visiting some of the injured in the hospital.

The cause of the crash remains unknown and is under investigation.

President Tebboune declared three days of national mourning beginning Friday. Flags will be flown at half-staff throughout Algeria in memory of those killed.

The tragedy is one of Algeria’s deadliest transportation accidents in recent years. In August 2025, another public transportation bus crashed through a bridge barrier in Algiers and plunged into a river, killing 18 people and injuring 21 others.