Bus crashes kill 19 in Morocco, Algeria

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RABAT: Two major bus crashes in Morocco and Algeria killed a total of 19 people early Saturday and injured almost three dozen more, media reported.

The worst accident took place in southern Morocco when a truck collided with a passenger bus on a highway near the city of Agadir, the MAP news agency said.

Ten people were burned alive and 22 others were injured, the agency said.

One of the injured was in serious condition and had to be flown by helicopter to a hospital in Marrakesh while the others were treated in Agadir, it said.

In neighbouring Algeria, nine people were killed and 12 injured early Saturday when a bus overturned in M’Silah province south of the capital Algiers, state television said.

The victims were five women, three men and a child, it said.

Traffic accidents are common in Morocco and Algeria where hundreds die each year on the roads, mostly due to speeding or human error.