8 Bangladeshis among 22 pilgrims dead in Saudi bus crash
29 March 2023
A bus ferrying pilgrims to Mecca after a collision on a bridge on Monday. Agency photo
Staff Reporter :
At least eight Bangladeshis among 22 people were killed and 30 others were injured when a bus collided with a bridge and overturned while they were travelling to perform Umrah in Makkah of Saudi Arabia on Monday (March 27).
Bangladesh Embassy in Riyadh revealed the information on Tuesday (March 28). However, the identities of the Bangladesh nationals could not be known till the filling of the report.
According to Saudi media, the accident occurred around 4:00pm on Monday on the 14km-long Aqabat Shaar road in the Asir province, as the bus was travelling from Khamis Mushayt to Abha.
The road, according to Saudi Press Agency, cuts through mountains, and has 11 tunnels and 32 bridges. When the bus was making its way down a bridge it underwent a brake failure, which caused it to crash into a barrier at the end of the bridge, overturn and catch fire.
About 30 other people were also injured in the accident, according to reports.
bdnews24.com add: Eight of the 22 Umrah pilgrims who died in a fiery bus crash in Saudi Arabia are Bangladeshi, according to the Bangladesh Consulate in Jeddah.
A total of 47 passengers were on the bus, of which 35 were from Bangladesh, an official at the consulate said on Tuesday. The consulate confirmed the death of eight
Bangladeshi passengers and were working to know the condition of the others, he added.
The bus hit a bridge, overturned, and burst into flames, leaving many injured as the vehicle's brakes failed in the southwestern Asir province bordering Yemen on Monday.
Aired footage showed the charred remains of the bus after the fiery crash.
The crash occurred during the first week of the ongoing Muslim holy month of Ramadan when many people travel to enjoy nightly feasts with family and friends after breaking their fast.
