ALGIERS: At least 19 people were killed and 32 others injured when a bus fell into a ravine in westernAlgeriaearly on Sunday, the official APS news agency reported.

The accident happened when the driver lost control of the bus at a bend near the town of Tiaret about 250 km (156 miles) west of the capital Algiers, APS said, citing local sources.

Authorities have adopted harsher fines and sanctions to curb road accidents which kill around 4,000 people every year in the North African country.