14 die in Jeddah minibus accident

Fourteen Arabs and Africans died and several others were injured Sunday night after a minibus rammed into a truck near the Majdoue roundabout south of Jeddah.
“The accident took place at 9 p.m. and most of the victims were trapped inside the vehicle,” said Col. Saeed Al-Ghamdi, spokesman of the Civil Defense.
He added that five Civil Defense teams had taken part in the rescue operation.
The minibus, which was carrying 17 passengers, had rammed into the tipper truck.
Civil Defense servicemen had to cut through the minibus to reach the victims and rescue the three survivors who were transported to King Abdul Aziz Hospital.
Rescuers also put out a fire that was caused by a petrol leak from the bus, Al-Ghamdi said.
The traffic department has launched a probe to determine the cause of the accident.
Meanwhile, in south Dhahran, a Saudi woman and her daughter died on Sunday after the front tire of a GMC van they were traveling in along with other family members burst and the vehicle rolled over several times. The father and their two daughters escaped with injuries.