Algeria bus crash kills 34 in remote Sahara region; deadliest road crash in years

At least 34 people were killed when an Algerian passenger bus collided head-on with a commercial vehicle and burst into flames in the country's southern desert Wednesday, officials said.

One of the North African country's deadliest road crashes in years also left 12 others injured, many with burn wounds, Algeria's civil defence agency said.

Unverified media images showed the mangled and charred hull of the bus after the accident which occurred at around 4:00 am (0300 GMT) near Tamanrasset, about a 2,000-kilometre drive south from the capital Algiers.

Local media reported burnt bodies were recovered from the bus wreck, near the town of Outoul, 20 kilometres west of Tamanrasset, deep in the Sahara.

The civil defence agency said the bus was carrying passengers between Tamanrasset and Adrar, a town of about 2,000 residents to the northwest.

Footage broadcasted by local media showed the bus going up in a massive ball of flames.

Other images shared by Algerian media show rescuers at the scene, near the two burnt vehicles that were involved in the accident.

Authorities did not immediately elaborate on the circumstances of the deadly crash or what had caused it. Speed is the main cause of road accidents in the country, according to a government road safety agency.

There was no official comment on the accident. Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune is currently in China for a state visit.

Mohamed Boudraa, the governor -- or wali -- of Tamanrasset, visited the local hospital where the 12 injured were being treated, the official APS news agency reported. It said they suffered serious burns.