At least 20 Umrah pilgrims killed, scores injured in Saudi Arabia's bus accident

RIYADH – At least 20 passengers were killed and more than two dozen suffered injuries when a passenger coach crashed in Asir province of Saudi Arabia.

Reports in Saudi media suggest that a fiery accident occurred on March 27 when the pilgrims were traveling between the city of Abha and the Muhayil Asir governorate.

Rescue teams, Red Crescent, and other local authorities rushed to the site of the accident and adjourning roads were closed for operation. Initial investigations revealed that the passenger coach was making its way down a bridge when it faced a brake failure, and it crash into a barrier at the end of the bridge and catch a huge blaze.

The deceased passengers were of various nationalities while officials are yet to share the identities of all individuals.

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Videos doing rounds on the internet show emergency teams making their way to the scene of the accident, where the torched coach turned turtle.

The horrific incident occurred during the first week of Ramadan, which is a busy time in Saudi Arabia due to the massive influx of pilgrims.

Shifting huge numbers of pilgrims around Saudi Arabia’s holy sites is a risky task, especially during the rush season when roads can be chaotic with coaches producing ceaseless traffic queues.

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