Ministers Join Thousands in Setif as Algeria Buries Victims of Boumerdes Bus Tragedy
Interior Minister Saïd Sayoud and Health Minister Mohamed Seddik Ait Messaoudene attended the funeral of the 27 victims of the Boumerdes bus disaster in El Eulma, Setif, on the instructions of President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, as Algeria continued three days of national mourning following one of the country’s deadliest road accidents.
By Dr. Hana Saada
ALGIERS – Thousands of mourners gathered on Saturday in El Eulma, in Algeria’s eastern province of Setif, to bid farewell to the 27 victims of the Boumerdes bus tragedy, as senior government officials joined grieving families in a display of national solidarity during the country’s three-day period of mourning.
Interior, Local Assemblies and Transport Minister Saïd Sayoud, accompanied by Health Minister Mohamed Seddik Ait Messaoudene, travelled to Setif on the instructions of President Abdelmadjid Tebboune to attend the funeral ceremonies, offer condolences to the victims’ families and reaffirm the state’s support following the devastating accident.
The two ministers were received upon their arrival at 8 May 1945 Airport by Setif Governor Mustapha Limani, Civil Protection Director-General Colonel Boualem Boughlaf, members of parliament and local civilian, military and security officials before proceeding to El Eulma.
Funeral prayers and burial ceremonies were held at the El Eulma cemetery, where the victims were laid to rest in the presence of a large public gathering. Thousands of residents attended the funerals to express solidarity with the bereaved families, reflecting the profound national grief triggered by the tragedy.
The victims, most of whom lived in the same neighbourhood in El Eulma, had been travelling together on a recreational trip to Seghirate Beach in Boumerdes when their passenger bus veered off the road, overturned and plunged into a ravine in the Berrahmoune area on Friday morning.
According to the latest official figures released by the Civil Protection authorities, the crash claimed 27 lives and left 42 others injured, several of them seriously. Emergency services mounted a large-scale rescue operation, while hospitals in Boumerdes and Algiers continue treating survivors.
The funerals took place as Algeria observed a three-day national mourning period declared by President Tebboune, who described the tragedy as a national loss, ordered a comprehensive investigation into its causes and vowed that those found responsible would face strict legal accountability once the inquiry is completed.
In the immediate aftermath of the disaster, Prime Minister Sifi Ghrieb travelled to Boumerdes on the President’s instructions to oversee emergency operations and later visited injured survivors receiving treatment in hospitals in Boumerdes and Algiers. During his visit, he urged transport operators to remember that passengers’ lives are “a trust placed in their hands.”
Interior Minister Sayoud had also supervised emergency response efforts at the scene, confirming that security services had opened a formal investigation while mobilising all available state resources to ensure comprehensive medical care for the injured.
The Boumerdes tragedy has prompted an unprecedented nationwide mobilisation involving government institutions, emergency services, the Algerian Red Crescent and thousands of volunteers, who have participated in blood donation campaigns and humanitarian initiatives in support of victims and their families, underscoring the strong sense of national solidarity that has emerged in the wake of the disaster.
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