Four Britons die in coach crash near Makkah

Four British tourists died north of Makkah, Saudi Arabia, when their coach collided with a petrol tanker on a main road, their UK travel agent told local media.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office confirmed Britons were among the victims of the crash, which happened in a town about 45 kilometres north of the holy city.

“We are supporting the British families of those who have died and those injured following a serious road traffic accident near the town of Al Khalas, Saudi Arabia,” the Foreign Office said yesterday.

The accident reportedly happened on Saturday but the Foreign Office would not confirm

the details when contacted by The National.

The coach, believed to be carrying 18 people, was at the start of a road trip between Makkah and Madinah when it was hit by the tanker and caught fire, Sky News reported.

One of the victims was a woman in her sixties from Blackburn and three others were from Preston, believed to be a man, a woman, and a mother and son, the Hashim Travel company told the Lancashire Telegraph.

A young child is also believed to be among the injured.

“There was a crash between the coach and a petrol tanker,” said Gulfaraz Zaman, the director of the travel company.

“There were 18 people on the coach which was travelling back from Makkah towards Madinah.” The group was on a trip booked through the company, based in Blackburn.

Hashim Travel has specialised in arranging Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages for 15 years for clients based in north-east England. Passengers typically pay about £4,300 (Dh22,100) for a Hajj trip including accommodation and travel within Saudi Arabia,

The Umrah is a pilgrimage to Makkah that can be undertaken at any time year-round. While Umrah is not compulsory, it is recommended in Islam. In Arabic, Umrah means “to visit a populated place”.

It is sometimes referred to as the minor or lesser pilgrimage, with the Hajj being the major pilgrimage, which is compulsory for every Muslim who can afford it.

Other passengers injured in the crash were from across the UK, from Accrington, Preston, Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Northampton and Blackburn.

Leader of Blackburn with Darwen Council, Mohammed Khan, told a local newspaper that he visited the deceased woman’s family and passed on his condolences.

The coach was travelling between Makkah and Madinah when it collided with a petrol tanker and caught fire