ALGIERS, Jan 1, 2021 (BSS/AFP) – Twenty people were killed Thursday in
Algeria when a vehicle carrying mainly African nationals overturned in the
south of the country, the civil protection unit said.
The crash took place near the town of Tamanrasset and 11 people were also
injured, the rescue unit said on its Facebook page.
Those killed were 19 African nationals, including children, and the
Algerian driver of the pick-up truck, which was completely destroyed in the
accident, it added.
The injured were given first aid at the scene of the accident before being
transferred to a hospital.
Tamanrasset in southernmost Algeria is near the country’s borders with Mali
and Niger, and a key transit route for illegal migrants from sub-Saharan
Africa trying to reach the Mediterranean to then cross to Europe.
In recent years Algeria has seen an influx of sub-Saharan migrants, many
pouring across the country’s southern border.
The civil protection unit urged drivers to respect traffic rules in
Algeria, where more than 3,000 people were killed on the roads in 2019
according to official figures.