Maghreb Edition

Tunisia: Death toll from bus accident in Amdoun reaches 26, bus manager in custodyF

Posted On 2 December 2019

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Ain Snoussi, Tunisia, Dec 2, 2019 – At least 26 people were killed when their bus crashed into a barrier on a mountain road and careered into a ravine in northwest Tunisia, officials said Monday. The health ministry said that 17 people were also injured in Sunday’s accident in a mountainous region popular with Tunisian tourists. The accident was one of the deadliest ever in a country whose poor road safety record has sparked criticism of officials. All those aboard the bus were Tunisian, the ministry said.

The age of the vehicle, more than 20 years old, and speeding were the suspected causes, a minister, Noureddine Selmi, told state television after an initial investigation. The bus had set off from Tunis towards the picturesque northern mountain town of Ain Draham, a popular autumn destination for domestic visitors. The interior ministry had initially reported the deaths of 22 out of the 43 people on board, saying the bus had “fallen into a ravine after crashing through an iron barrier”. The health ministry said four more passengers had died of their injuries. An AFP team who visited the site saw the twisted remains of the bus in the ravine near a river bed, surrounded by scattered bodies. The top of the bus appeared to have been torn off and seats were strewn across the site.  President Kais Saied and outgoing Prime Minister Youssef Chahed both visited the site hours after the tragedy.

Tunisia’s poorly-maintained roads have a reputation for being deadly. Almost 1,100 people died in traffic accidents in 2018, according to a national observatory on road security. The World Health Organization in 2015 reported that Tunisia had the second-worst road death rate per capita in North Africa, behind only war-torn Libya. Sunday’s accident triggered renewed public anger over what one social media user called the country’s “roads of death”.

By AFP

North Africa Journal’s Editor’s note:

The investigating judge probing the Amdoun accident (26 dead and 18 injured) that occurred on 1 December in Ain Snoussi (Beja), decided today (Monday, 1 December), to detain the bus company’s top manager. The decision comes after authorities issued a travel ban against the same person, suspected of non-compliance with transport regulation. He was then arrested for failure to maintain the bus and for allowing over-capacity.

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Written by The North Africa Journal

The North Africa Journal is a leading English-language publication focused on North Africa. The Journal covers primarily the Maghreb region and expands its general coverage to the Sahel, Egypt, and beyond, when events in those regions affect the broader North Africa geography. The Journal does not have any affiliation with any institution and has been independent since its founding in 1996. Our position is to always bring our best analysis of events affecting the region, and remain as neutral as humanly possible. Our coverage is not limited to one single topic, but ranges from economic and political affairs, to security, defense, social and environmental issues. We rely on our full staff analysts and editors to bring you best-in-class analysis. We also work with sister company MEA Risk LLC, to leverage the presence on the ground of a solid network of contributors and experts. Information on MEA Risk can be found at www.MEA-Risk.com.