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35 foreigners dead as bus crashes into heavy vehicle in Saudi Arabia
Source:AFP Published: 2019/10/17 19:08:40
Thirty-five foreigners were killed and four others injured when a bus collided with another heavy vehicle near the Muslim holy city of Medina, Saudi state media said on Thursday.
Those involved were Arab and Asian pilgrims travelling from Medina to Mecca, according to local media, which carried pictures of the bus engulfed in flames and with its windows blown out.
The injured have been transferred to Al-Hamna Hospital, SPA added. Authorities have launched an investigation.
The Okaz newspaper said that the victims were expatriates who lived in the kingdom and who were performing the umrah - the lesser pilgrimage to the Muslim holy places, which can be undertaken year round.
This year some 2.5 million faithful travelled to Saudi Arabia from across the world in August to take part in the annual hajj pilgrimage - one of the five pillars of Islam.
The hajj and the umrah centre on Mecca and its surrounding hills and valleys, in the west of the kingdom, but the itinerary also often takes in the other holy city of Medina.
Last year, a high-speed train line was opened linking Mecca and Medina in just two and a half hours, halving the previous travel time.
Prince Faisal bin Salman, the governor of Medina region, expressed his condolences to the families of the victims, SPA said.
The nationalities of the victims were not known but Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also sent his condolences.
"Anguished by the news of a bus crash near Mecca in Saudi Arabia. Condolences to the families of those who lost their lives. Praying for a quick recovery of the injured," he tweeted.
Transporting worshippers around the holy sites, particularly during the hajj, is a huge challenge for Saudi Arabia.
The pilgrims from all over the world wait on the platform to board the light rail trains in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Aug. 11, 2019. China Railway Construction Corporation Limited (CRCC), operator of the Mecca light rail in the Hajj season in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, completed this year's pilgrimage transport service on Wednesday. During the seven-day operation, the total operation time of Mecca light rail was 156 hours, and more than 2.4 million trips were delivered safely and accurately. Photo:Xinhua
The accident on Wednesday evening involved a collision between "a private chartered bus... with a heavy vehicle" near the western city, a spokesman for Medina police said, according to the official Saudi Press Agency.Those involved were Arab and Asian pilgrims travelling from Medina to Mecca, according to local media, which carried pictures of the bus engulfed in flames and with its windows blown out.
The injured have been transferred to Al-Hamna Hospital, SPA added. Authorities have launched an investigation.
The Okaz newspaper said that the victims were expatriates who lived in the kingdom and who were performing the umrah - the lesser pilgrimage to the Muslim holy places, which can be undertaken year round.
This year some 2.5 million faithful travelled to Saudi Arabia from across the world in August to take part in the annual hajj pilgrimage - one of the five pillars of Islam.
The hajj and the umrah centre on Mecca and its surrounding hills and valleys, in the west of the kingdom, but the itinerary also often takes in the other holy city of Medina.
Last year, a high-speed train line was opened linking Mecca and Medina in just two and a half hours, halving the previous travel time.
Prince Faisal bin Salman, the governor of Medina region, expressed his condolences to the families of the victims, SPA said.
The nationalities of the victims were not known but Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also sent his condolences.
"Anguished by the news of a bus crash near Mecca in Saudi Arabia. Condolences to the families of those who lost their lives. Praying for a quick recovery of the injured," he tweeted.
Transporting worshippers around the holy sites, particularly during the hajj, is a huge challenge for Saudi Arabia.
Posted in: MID-EAST