by Olivier Acuña Barba •Revealed: August 16, 2025•13:22•2 minutes learn
Bus driver mentioned steering was clogged | Credit score: X’s Algeria Mission (@Algeria3New)
The rescue group was nonetheless looking for the sufferer on Saturday, August sixteenth. Almost 20 folks have been killed and greater than dozens have been injured within the bus crash. The accident has sparked nationwide condemnation of visitors security.
Commander Nasim Barnawie, deputy director of Statistics and Data for Algerian Civil Safety, mentioned: It has been reported. Benaui additionally famous that police are nonetheless figuring out the our bodies, and that the our bodies will probably be taken to varied hospitals in Algiers.
“It is a tragedy that touched all of us,” in a message to the general public, describing the bus crash as a “catastrophe,” Algerian President Abdelmazid Tebuune mentioned he had expressed his grief in the direction of the victims’ households and expressed his unhappiness.
Heavy contaminated river
Algerian information web site TSA I mentioned El Harach, the river the place the bus was falling, is understood for its closely contaminated water and foul scent. A venture to scrub up this iconic wadi in Elharach is at present underway, however stays incomplete.
Authorities say there will probably be investigations to find out the precise reason for the accident, however witnesses and survivors say that when they’re on the bridge the bus out of the blue leaves the course, bumps into the bridge’s security barrier, and plunges into Wadi under.
Driver says the steering is clogged
TSA additionally spoke to the motive force. “The bus steering is clogged. The bus has been overloaded. We do not know precisely what number of passengers there are. We tried to avoid wasting the passengers, however we could not due to the damage. We have been in ache.”
The unidentified survivor mentioned, “I used to be sitting with a pal and speaking on the cellphone. Instantly, the bus hit the wall of a bridge and heard the motive force scream earlier than it fell into Wadi.”
Najim and his mates traveled in a automobile on the bridge, witnessed an accident, and shortly stopped the automobile and jumped into the water to assist the survivors.
Two women and a deceased mom
“After we arrived on the scene we by no means thought once more. We did not know that the dying toll was so excessive. It was shifting when two women who did not wish to depart as a result of their mom died touched me. “There have been individuals who risked their lives attempting to avoid wasting passengers. Now we have no means,” he added.
Algerian Transport Minister has beforehand condemned the extreme pace of Algerian buses in “90% of street accidents,” Sayoud mentioned.
Native NGO Mission Algeria has blamed the bus age accident. “The disgrace of the nation like Algeria with buses nonetheless working 30/40/50 years in the past. Critical to passenger and environmental security!, Algeria Mission I mentioned x.
84,000 buses should be up to date
The Minister addressed the problem of updating the bus fleet. “Now we have been engaged on this venture for a very long time. Now we have mentioned we have to replace 84,000 buses,” the minister defined in response to criticism of the growing older state of Algerian passenger buses.
The Algeria Mission proposed new legal guidelines to personal bus corporations, which might permit them to make use of new buses and remove non-public operators.