At least 20 individuals had been killed and dozens of others injured in Saudi Arabia on Monday when a bus carrying pilgrims to the holy metropolis of Mecca burst into flames after a collision on a bridge, state media reported.
The incident within the southern province of Asir highlights persistent challenges to soundly transporting worshippers to Mecca and Medina, the holiest cities in Islam.
It comes in the course of the first week of Ramadan, a busy time for umrah pilgrimages, and simply months earlier than hundreds of thousands of Muslims are anticipated to make the annual hajj pilgrimage.
“According to preliminary information we have now received, the number of deaths in this accident reached 20, and the total number of injuries was approximately 29,” the state-affiliated Al-Ekhbariya channel reported.
It mentioned the victims had “different nationalities” however didn’t point out them or present a breakdown.
The channel mentioned the bus had “car trouble,” with out specifying, whereas the non-public newspaper Okaz mentioned the accident resulted from a difficulty with the brakes.
The automobile “then collided with a bridge, overturned and caught fire.”
Footage broadcast on Al-Ekhbariya confirmed a reporter standing in entrance of what seemed to be the burnt-out shell of the bus.
Transporting worshippers round Saudi Arabia’s holy websites is a deadly process, significantly in the course of the hajj, when roads could be chaotic with buses creating interminable visitors jams.
In October 2019, some 35 foreigners had been killed and 4 others injured when a bus collided with one other heavy automobile close to Medina.
Yet pilgrimages are an integral part of a burgeoning tourism sector that Saudi officers hope will assist diversify the dominion’s financial system away from fossil fuels.
Source: www.dailysabah.com
