ALGIERS, June 4 (Xinhua) -- As many as 33 people were killed and 22 others were injured when a transport bus collided with a semi trailer early on Saturday morning in the province of Laghouat, 400 km southern of Algiers, Fire Fighting Department said.
The bus served the line linking the northern west province of Oran and Ouargla, as it collided with a semi trailer coming from the opposite side at 1:50 GMT, the source said.
Ambulances and fire fighters rushed to the site to provide first aids to the injured, while detectives opened an investigation to determine the circumstances of the accident.
Similar accidents are frequent on the roads linking the north to the south of Algeria. Breaking the speed limit and the fatigue of drivers due to performing nonstop 1000 km overnight, stand as the main reason for such accidents, road police investigations concluded.
Between 4,000 and 4,500 people die every year in traffic accidents, according to official figures. A driving license's demerit point system is yet to become in force, in a step to curb the soaring number of traffic accidents in this North African nation.
