Eighteen people were killed and 24 others injured after a passenger bus fell into a ravine in the Wadi El Harrach area of central Algiers, according to civil protection authorities.

Transport Minister Saïd Sayout confirmed that an investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the accident.

President Abdelmadjid Tebboune declared one day of national mourning with flags at half-mast in solidarity with the victims’ families.