At least 25 people have been killed and dozens of others injured in Algeria after a passenger bus overturned near the coastal town of Boumerdes, east of the capital Algiers, on Friday, local officials said.

The country's civil protection department ​said that the cause of the crash was unknown. Those hurt have been evacuated ‌to ⁠nearby hospitals for treatment.

Algerian Prime Minister ​Sifi ​Ghrieb ⁠spoke to emergency service workers when he visited the crash site, where the coach could be seen lying at the bottom of a ravine.

In a separate incident in August of last year, a bus crashed near Algiers, killing 18 people, AFP reported.

In December of that year, 14 people died when their bus overturned in the southern region of Bechar.

Road safety authorities in Algeria say that 3,838 people died and more than 37,000 were injured in traffic accidents last year. (BBC)