4 Umrah pilgrims die in bus crash
Jordanians were on their way home from Saudi Arabia when accident occurred in Tabuk
At least four Jordanians were killed and 35 others were injured when the bus carrying them home from Saudi Arabia crashed late on Friday.
The Jordanians had just performed Umrah in the western city of Makkah and were on their way to Jordan when the accident occurred in the Tabuk area in the northwestern part of the kingdom, Saudi daily Okaz reported yesterday, quoting Red Crescent sources.
Medical staff said they found four people dead, 10 in critical condition, nine passengers with mild injuries and 12 who were stable.
The injured were transported to two different hospitals in Tabuk on the way to the borders with Jordan.
Khalid Al Enezi, the spokesperson for the Saudi Red Crescent in Tabuk, said that three injured people were taken to hospital by citizens before the arrival of the 24 Saudi rescue teams dispatched to the accident site.
In the Jordanian capital Amman, a spokesperson for the foreign ministry said the country’s consulate in Jeddah was monitoring the situation closely and that a representative from the diplomatic mission went to the accident site.
All the appropriate measures will be taken regarding the Jordanian nationals following contacts with the Saudi authorities, the spokesperson added, Petra, the official news agency, reported.
No reason for the ghastly accident was given by either the Saudi or Jordanian authorities.
In March last year, 19 Egyptians were killed and 22 injured when their bus overturned along the Madinah-Makkah highway.
According to reports, investigations revealed that the Asian driver dozed off and lost control over the bus.
Umrah, often described as the non-mandatory lesser pilgrimage to Makkah, may be performed by Muslims at any time of the year and takes a few hours.