Two pilgrims — an Egyptian woman and a Filipino child — died and 37 others injured when their bus collided with a huge truck in Dhalam near Taif on Thursday, said Siraj Al-Humaidan, spokesman of the head department in Taif.
The early morning accident occurred while the bus carrying pilgrims belong to different nationalities including Pakistanis, Indians and Bangladeshis was heading to Makkah for the pilgrims to perform Umrah.
He said nine of the injured have been transported to various hospitals in Taif for treatment while other cases were taken to Dhalam General Hospital.
“We have sent 13 medical teams to the site to provide various health services to the accident victims,” Al-Humaidan said, adding that 21 first-aid service teams were also deployed for treating the injured.
In February 2014, seven Pakistanis died when their bus, carrying 49 people, collided with a truck on the Makkah-Madinah highway.
In a separate incident last year, four Omanis died when their family minibus collided with two trucks. In 2013, ten people lost their lives after an accident involving several cars on the highway between Makkah and the coastal town of Allaiyth.
Four years ago, 13 Syrians died in another accident in Al-Jouf. Four pilgrims where also killed in a accident in 2010 on the main road between Makkah and Madinah. Back in 2002, nineteen pilgrims died and 22 others injured when their bus collided with a truck. Ten of the killed were Egyptians along with two Jordanians and a Saudi, a Sudanese and a Syrian.
Umrah pilgrim bus crashes
Umrah pilgrim bus crashes
