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At least 8 Bangladeshi pilgrims killed in Saudi bus crash

Staff Correspondent
29 Mar 2023 00:00:00 | Update: 29 Mar 2023 10:47:53
At least 8 Bangladeshi pilgrims killed in Saudi bus crash
The scene of the bus crash that killed at least 20 people – Collected Photo

There are at least 8 Bangladeshis among the 20 Umrah pilgrims who got killed as a bus ferrying them to the holy city of Mecca burst into flames after a collision on a bridge on Monday.

Legal Assistant (EL) of the Bangladesh Consulate Office in Jeddah Aziz Farkan confirmed the matter on Tuesday.

He said, “At least 8 Bangladeshis may be there among those pilgrims who were killed in the road accident. However, the exact identity of the casualties was not found. The body has been kept in the Asir province hospital morgue.”

The accident also injured more than two dozen others, Saudi state media reported.

The incident in the southern province of Asir highlights persistent challenges to safely transporting worshippers to Mecca and Medina, the holiest cities in Islam.

It comes during the first week of Ramadan, a busy time for Umrah pilgrimages, and just months before millions of Muslims are expected 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 said the victims had different nationalities but did not mention them or provide a breakdown.

The channel said the bus had car trouble, without specifying, while the private newspaper Okaz said the accident resulted from an issue with the brakes.

The vehicle “then collided with a bridge, overturned and caught fire”.

Footage broadcast on Al-Ekhbariya showed a reporter standing in front of what appeared to be the burnt-out shell of the bus.

Transporting worshippers around Saudi Arabia’s holy sites is a perilous task, particularly during the hajj when roads can be chaotic with buses creating interminable traffic jams.

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