Algeria is in mourning. The President of the Republic, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, declared that the national flag would be put at half mast after a dramatic accident occurring on Friday August 15 in Oued El Harrach, in the suburbs of Algiers.
A bus carrying many passengers has left its trajectory on a bridge before diving into the wadi. Civil protection has confirmed a very heavy assessment: 18 dead and 24 injuredseveral of which in serious condition. The rescue intervention began around 5:45 p.m., shortly after the fall of the vehicle.
Oued El Harrach, known for its polluted waters and bad smells, is currently the subject of a depollution project still in progress.
According to testimonies reported by TSA Algeriathe bus, connecting Réghaïa to the center of Algiers, would have hit the bridge safety barrier before falling into the wadi. The driver, an employee of the Extranet company and working punctually as a bus driver, explained that the vehicle management was blocked while the bus was overloaded with passengers. “I tried to save passengers, but I could not because of my injury,” he said before the authorities present on the scene.
Witnesses also told their heroic rescue attempts. Nazim, present with friends, explains: “I was on the phone with my friend when the driver shouted. The bus hit the barrier and fell into wadi. We threw ourselves into the water to help the survivors. He particularly remembers two young girls who refused to leave the water, their mother who died in the accident.
The Minister of Transport, Said Sayoud, denounced the excessive speed of buses in Algeria, recalling that 90 % of road accidents are speeding. He also underlined the urgency to renew the bus park, believing that 84,000 vehicles must be replaced To guarantee travelers safety.
This dramatic accident relaunches the debates on road safety and the state of public transport in Algeria, while the nation cries its victims.
