🗓️Published on: 01/11/2026
Mechroha Tunnel Collapse | Workplace accidents continue to claim lives and endanger workers across Algeria, while ongoing restrictions on independent trade unions undermine their ability to defend workers’ rights and safety.
On the night of Monday, 26 October 2026, a serious workplace accident occurred in the Hadjadjia area of Mechroha, in Algeria’s Souk Ahras province, when part of a tunnel under construction collapsed along the Eastern Mining Railway Line. Two workers were injured, while Zakaria Chouarfia, from Boukmouza in the municipality of Oued Fragha, Guelma province, was trapped beneath the rubble.
At the time of writing, Zakaria remains trapped, as his family faces an agonising wait and growing calls are made for additional rescue teams and specialised equipment capable of dealing with tunnel collapses.
Despite the seriousness of the accident and the widespread circulation of photographs and videos on social media, local news outlets have failed to provide the coverage warranted by the scale of the incident. Meanwhile, the worker’s family and the wider public are left seeking clear information about the rescue operation and accountability for what happened.
Mechroha Tunnel Collapse Along the Eastern Mining Railway Line
The collapse occurred at a construction site forming part of the Eastern Mining Railway Line Modernisation, Realignment and Doubling Project, one of Algeria’s largest railway infrastructure developments.
The collapse occurred at a construction site forming part of the Eastern Mining Railway Line Modernisation, Realignment and Doubling Project, one of Algeria’s largest railway infrastructure developments.
The 121-kilometre section between Bouchegouf in Guelma province and Dréa in Souk Ahras involves the construction of numerous bridges and tunnels across challenging mountainous terrain, requiring rigorous safety measures and continuous technical supervision.
During an official visit to Souk Ahras on 8 February 2026, the Prime Minister’s Office stressed the importance of this section and reaffirmed the commitment to completing the project before the end of the year, while emphasising compliance with safety and quality standards.
The project’s construction sites have also been the subject of repeated inspections by the Minister of Public Works and Basic Infrastructure, Abdelkader Djellaoui. During his visit on 25 September 2026 , he called for the daily excavation rate to be doubled and construction work to be accelerated, while maintaining compliance with technical standards.
Which Companies Are Responsible for the Project?
The National Agency for Studies and Follow-up of Railway Investment Projects (ANESRIF) acts as the delegated project owner under the supervision of the Ministry of Public Works and Basic Infrastructure.
Several Algerian companies are involved in constructing the Bouchegouf–Dréa section, including Cosider Public Works (Cosider TP), Cosider Engineering Structures (Cosider OA) and the National Company for Major Engineering Structures (ENGOA), alongside other contractors.
In a statement issued on 18 May 2026 , the Ministry of Public Works confirmed the involvement of these companies in the construction and supervision of this section. Published reports also identify Cosider Public Works as the company responsible for constructing Tunnel No. 04 along the Aïn Senour–Bouchegouf section.
Official updates from the Guelma provincial authorities also refer to the participation of an Algerian-Chinese consortium in the construction of sections of the Eastern Mining Railway Line.
also refer to the participation of an Algerian-Chinese consortium in the construction of sections of the Eastern Mining Railway Line.
Workers’ Safety Is a Legal Obligation, Not an Afterthought
Tunnel construction presents significant occupational hazards, particularly the risk of ground collapse. It therefore requires stringent preventive measures, including geotechnical assessments, adequate structural support during excavation, continuous ground stability monitoring and effective emergency response and rescue plans.
Algerian Law 88-07 of 26 January 1988 on Occupational Hygiene, Safety and Medicine requires employers to protect workers’ health and safety and to integrate preventive measures into working methods and the organisation of work. Compliance with these obligations is subject to inspection by the labour inspectorate.
The full text of the legislation is available from the Algerian Ministry of Labour.
The Mechroha tunnel collapse therefore demands a thorough technical and judicial investigation into its causes, compliance with safety requirements, the adequacy of rescue arrangements and working conditions at the site, including working hours and the pressures associated with project completion deadlines.
Meeting construction deadlines cannot justify putting workers’ lives at risk. Employers and regulatory authorities bear direct legal responsibility for ensuring that the protections required under Algerian law are properly implemented.
Trade Union Repression Leaves Workers Without Independent Protection
The Trade Union Confederation of Productive Forces (COSYFOP) considers that the continuing occurrence of workplace accidents in Algeria also exposes the serious consequences of weakening independent trade union representation in businesses and public works projects.
Restrictions on trade union freedoms, the dissolution of independent organisations, and the dismissal and prosecution of trade union leaders and activists have undermined workers’ ability to organise collectively and exercise independent oversight of their working conditions.
Independent trade unions play a vital role in identifying workplace hazards before accidents occur, reporting breaches of safety regulations, protecting workers who refuse to undertake dangerous tasks, and holding employers accountable when accidents happen.
Denying workers the right to establish free and independent trade unions weakens their ability to defend their lives, health and dignity at work.
COSYFOP Condemns the Situation and Calls for an Urgent Investigation
The Trade Union Confederation of Productive Forces (COSYFOP) strongly condemns the dangerous state of working conditions and occupational safety in Algeria. It expresses its full solidarity with Zakaria Chouarfia and his family, the two injured workers, and all workers exposed to occupational hazards.
COSYFOP calls on the Algerian authorities and the entities responsible for the project to take the following measures:
- Deploy all necessary personnel and specialised technical resources to complete the search operation, reach Zakaria Chouarfia and recover him from beneath the rubble.
- Launch an independent and transparent investigation into the circumstances of the Mechroha tunnel collapse, covering technical studies, preventive measures and occupational safety oversight.
- Disclose the identity of the employer and the companies responsible for the worksite, and establish legal and administrative accountability for any failures identified by the investigation.
- Publish a comprehensive official account of the accident, ensuring that the families of those affected and the wider public are kept informed of rescue efforts and the findings of the investigation.
- Strengthen occupational safety inspections across major construction projects and guarantee the legal rights of affected workers and their families.
- Lift restrictions on trade union freedoms and guarantee workers’ right to establish independent trade unions capable of defending their interests and safety without fear of retaliation, dismissal or prosecution.
COSYFOP reiterates that protecting workers’ lives is both a legal and an institutional duty. Any development policy that disregards safe working conditions and fundamental trade union rights exposes workers to serious risks.
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