Separate bus crashes in Morocco kill total of 27, among them Dutch and German tourists

One bus flipped over on the highway Monday evening as it traveled between the Atlantic coast tourist destinations of Essaouira and Agadir in the south of the country, killing 17 people. The Dutch and German foreign ministries confirmed their citizens were among the dead. The two dead tourists were both women.

Earlier on Monday, a bus speeding on mountainous roads along the Mediterranean crashed outside the city of Nador, killing 10 people and injuring 33 others. The dead included three women and a young girl.

According to the U.S. State Department website, traffic accidents are a “significant hazard” in Morocco.

Although there are modern highways between the main cities, the rest of the country is served by two lane roads, often in poor condition and reckless driving habits, such as overtaking on curves, are quite common.

According to the World Health Organization, some 5,217 people died in 2010 from road accidents. New stricter laws have been put in place, however, to make up for historically light enforcement of traffic rules.