20-7-2023 (ALGERIA) A devastating road crash in the southern Sahara region of Algeria resulted in the death of 34 people on Wednesday (Jul 19) when a passenger bus collided head-on with a pickup truck carrying fuel cans and burst into flames. The accident also left 12 others injured, many of whom suffered severe burns, making it the deadliest road crash in the country in years, according to Algeria’s civil defence agency.
President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, who was on a state visit to China, expressed his deep distress and sadness over the incident and offered his sincere condolences to the families of the victims.
The horrifying images from the accident scene showed the bus completely engulfed in flames, lighting up the night sky. The crash occurred around 4 am in a small town near Tamanrasset, which is situated 2,000 kilometers south of the capital, Algiers.
Rescue workers were later seen recovering bodies from the mangled and charred remains of the bus in Outoul, located 20 kilometers west of Tamanrasset. Local residents reported that the bus had just dropped off passengers and was about to resume its journey when a Toyota pickup truck collided with it.
Samir Bouchehit, an official from the national gendarmerie, revealed that the truck was driving on the wrong side of the road and was carrying cans of gasoline, which caught fire upon collision. Initial investigations suggest that the driver of the pickup truck bears responsibility for the tragic accident.
Health Minister Abdelhak Saihi visited the accident site and promised to take all necessary measures to provide care for the injured. The bus was en route between Tamanrasset, a town with a population of 150,000, and Adrar, with approximately 65,000 residents.
Tamanrasset serves as a crucial transportation hub in the remote desert region, facilitating the movement of people and goods from Algeria’s far south to the coastal north. The area, near the borders of Mali and Niger, also serves as a transit point for migrants from sub-Saharan Africa who aspire to reach Europe via Algeria.
Road accidents have been a major concern in Algeria, with nearly 23,000 incidents reported in 2022, resulting in 3,409 deaths and over 30,000 injuries, as reported by the country’s road safety chief, Nacef Abdelhakim. Speeding has been identified as the primary cause of these accidents, according to the state road safety agency.
In December 2020, another vehicle crash near Tamanrasset claimed the lives of 20 people and injured 11 others, mostly African migrants.
