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16 Dead, Three Injured In Algerian Car Crash

Sixteen passengers died and another three were injured, mostly sub-Saharan Africans, on Monday when two pickup trucks collided in southern Algeria, rescue services and local media reported.


The Algerian national flag flies at half mast in the capital Algiers on September 18, 2021, following the death of former president Abdelaziz Bouteflika. – Bouteflika, who ruled Algeria for two decades before resigning in 2019 as huge protests engulfed the country, has died aged 84, public television announced. The former strongman had left office in April 2019 under pressure from the military, following weeks of demonstrations over his bid to run for a fifth term in office. (Photo by RYAD KRAMDI / AFP)
The Algerian flag.

 

Sixteen passengers died and another three were injured, mostly sub-Saharan Africans, on Monday when two pickup trucks collided in southern Algeria, rescue services and local media reported.

The accident took place on a highway in the country’s desert south, the civil protection agency said on Facebook.

Out of the 16 victims, 14 were from African countries further south and two were Algerians, according to local media, which said the accident took place between Reggane and Bordj Badji Mokhtar in the vast country’s southwest.

READ ALSO: At Least 19 Killed In Egyptian Minibus Accident

The government’s road safety agency blames speeding, both by private drivers and public transport, for Algeria’s high rate of accidents.

In 2021, Algeria recorded more than 7,000 traffic accidents which killed at least 2,643 people and left in excess of 11,000 injured.

Algerian roads are among the most dangerous in the region but other North African countries also see thousands of road deaths annually.

AFP