RIYADH: Riyadh police are searching for the driver of a hit-and-run accident that took the lives of two Indian electricians Friday morning in the capital.

The victims were identified as Rajesh, 28, and Ullas, 32, both from Quilon, Kerala. The two men were on their way to a construction site in Dammam. The men were commuting to Dammam in a Toyota Corolla.

The accident occurred on the Al-Khurais Road at Exit 30 opposite the Max Discount Center in Naseem district.

The police are asking any possible eyewitnesses to come forward to assist in apprehending the driver of the other vehicle who fled the scene of the accident.

According to the medical report, Rajesh succumbed to the injuries of the accident while Ullas, who suffered from relatively minor injuries to the face, died from heart failure due to the shock of the collision.

Sabu, a friend of the deceased men, told Arab News that both men were married. Rajesh is survived by his wife Neethu and a one-year-old baby. Ullas leaves behind his wife Sini.

Saudi Arabia has one of the world’s highest road accident rates.

Last year 485,931 accidents took place in the country, killing 6,458 people and injuring 36,486. Speeding and disregard for safety regulations were cited as the main causes of accidents in the Kingdom.

A study from the Ministry of Health estimates that the average vehicular collision that involves fatal or nofatal injuries results in SR100,000 to SR120,000 in medical expenses. According to Muhammad Al-Ghamdi, secretary-general of the Shoura Council and former chairman of the National Traffic Safety Committee, the annual cost of road accidents is estimated at about SR26 billion, which is equal to four percent of the country’s gross domestic product.

He said about one-third of beds in government hospitals are occupied by accident victims. “About 45 percent of accidents are caused by speeding,” he pointed out.

Recently, the Kingdom was singled out by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the record holder of the highest death toll due to traffic accidents with over 49 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants.