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Algeria is in mourning after the drama of Oued El-Harrach. Eighteen people lost their lives and twenty-four others were injured in the deadly fall of a passenger transport bus. Between visits to hospitals, support for bereaved families and prayers during burials, an entire nation gathered in pain and solidarity.
The army general Said Chanegriha, Minister Delegate to the Minister of National Defense and chief of staff of the National People’s Army, went, yesterday morning, to the central army hospital in Aïn Naâdja, to the specialized hospital Salim-Zmirli in El-Harrach as well as at CHU Mustapha-Pacha. Accompanied by the Minister of Health, Abdelhak Saïhi, he wanted to inquire about the state of health of the injured in the tragic accident that occurred last Friday in Oued El-Harrach, in Algiers, having caused the fatal fall of a passenger transport bus in the watercourse. The provisional assessment reports 18 dead and 24 injured. The Ministry of National Defense said that “six wounded were transferred to the central army hospital in order to receive the necessary care and required management”.
The Minister of Health, for his part, praised “the effective and immediate role played by the National People’s Army in the care of the wounded at Aïn Naâdja hospital”, stressing that “all of the medical and paramedical staff has been mobilized to ensure optimal care”.
Chanegriha and Saïhi at the bedside of the wounded
At CHU Mustapha-Pacha, from the early hours of the morning, the authorities moved to follow the situation closely. MM. Chanegriha and Saïhi exchanged directly with doctors and nursing staff and supported the families of the victims. Saïhi told the media present that “from the first alert, around 45 minutes after the accident, all the hospital structures of the capital were mobilized”. The medical and paramedical staff, including those on leave, have been recalled in an emergency to ensure rapid and efficient management.
Saïhi said hospitals first received 23 injured at first. “Seventeen of them were able to regain their homes after having benefited from light care and acts, while six others have remained hospitalized,” he said. He added that in the morning of yesterday, thirteen patients among those who were already out returned due to persistent pain, without however presenting serious complications, stressing, however, that two wounded remained in critical condition and were the subject of close monitoring after complex surgical interventions.
The minister also praised the momentum of citizen solidarity which spoke at the time of the drama. Ten people who spontaneously have rescue passengers were examined and neat at the El-Mattar hospital. Their state of health is deemed without gravity. Likewise, fourteen civil protection divers participated in the rescue operations were examined. According to the first diagnosis, none of them presents complications. Two injured agents left the hospital yesterday morning.
Regarding the deceased victims, the minister said that 18 bodies were transferred to Mustapha-Pacha hospital saying that “the identity of 17 of them has already been confirmed, and a victim remains to be identified”.
Accompaniment of remains to their burial location
The minister explained that “thirteen of them will be buried in the wilaya of Algiers, while the others will join their regions of origin, notably Biskra, Batna and Bouira”. The head of the legal medicine service of the Mustapha-Pacha CHU, Professor Rachid Belhadj, said that the bodies of the victims had been quickly identified thanks to the collaboration of the scientific police. DNA tests and imprint surveys are underway for the identification of a male victim. A call to witness was also launched.
He also declared that on the instruction of the President of the Republic, a crisis unit was installed at the level of the morgue of the Mustapha-Pacha hospital in order to facilitate the legal and administrative procedures for the delivery of the remains and burial for bereaved families.
Families, supported by state services, were able to express their wishes concerning burial places. Civil protection has mobilized its logistical means to ensure the transport of remains to the various wilayas. In order to mark national solidarity, ministerial delegations accompanied the bereaved families during burial ceremonies, testifying to the effective state support to those close to the victims in these painful moments. In cemeteries, emotion was at its height. The crying and sobs mingled with prayers and tributes. Residents, from many neighborhoods, joined families to share their pain.
The officials present observed a silent meditation alongside families, some do not hesitate to express their compassion by simple but sincere gestures, such as holding a hand, wiping tears or bowing in front of the coffins covered with white sheets.
This climate full of dignity and deep sadness recalled how much this tragedy goes beyond family circles and affected the whole nation, uniting citizens and authorities in the same mourning.
A million dinars for the families of the victims
It should be noted that as of Friday evening, an official delegation went to the scene of the drama. It was made up of the director of cabinet of the Presidency of the Republic, Boualem Boualem, the Minister of the Interior, Brahim Merad, the Minister of Transport, Saïd Sayoud, the Minister of Public Works and Basic Infrastructures, Lakhdar Rekhroukh, of the Director General of Civil Protection, Colonel Boualem Boughelaf, Wali of Algiers Mohamed Abdenn. Rabehi, as well as several members of the government and security officials.
“It is a tragedy that affects the heart and conscience of all Algerians,” said Interior Minister Brahim Merad, transmitting the condolences of the President of the Republic. He reaffirmed that the State will remain alongside the victims and their relatives, announcing that compensation for an amount of one million dinars will be paid to the bereaved families, in accordance with the instructions of President Tebboune. He added that the details of this operation will be disclosed soon in a public statement.
In addition, Mr. Merad wanted to highlight “the effectiveness of the emergency and rescue plan”, recalling “the availability of the necessary means” and “the attachment of the President of the Republic to ensure permanent monitoring of care operations”. He also insisted on the intensification of efforts so that similar accidents no longer reproduce.
The deputy director of statistics and information at the Directorate General for Civil Protection, Commander Nassim Bernaoui, said that the civil protection services have mobilized significant human and material resources to rescue the victims immediately after the accident. He added that these are 16 divers, 25 ambulances to take care of the victims and evacuate them to the nearest health establishments and 4 semi-rigid boats.
The official delegation then went to the Mustapha-Pacha CHU to inquire about the conditions of care and the state of health of the victims of the tragic accident. On site, strict instructions have been given to ensure optimal management for the injured and mobilize all the necessary medical and human means, including specialized medical teams, in order to guarantee rapid and efficient intervention.
This tragedy, which cost many citizens and upset whole families, has been deeply marked the population. It forcefully recalls the need to strengthen vigilance on the roads, but also the value of national solidarity in moments of the test.