Algeria car crash kills 8 people from same family

Eight people from the same family, including five children, have been killed in a car crash in eastern Algeria, the civil defence said Saturday.

The children, aged four to 13, their parents and an aunt died after their vehicle collided late Friday with a semi-trailer near the city of Batna, a statement said, without elaborating on the cause of the crash.

In 2021, Algeria recorded nearly 22,000 traffic accidents that killed 3,061 people and left 29,763 injured, according to the authorities.

The toll for 2022 has yet to be announced.

Speed is the main cause of crashes in the North African country, according to a government road safety agency.