101 fuel truck blast victims discharged from hospital

RIYADH: The Ministry of Health (MOH) announced yesterday 101 people injured in the fuel truck accident in East Riyadh last Thursday morning have been discharged from hospital.
At least 133 people were injured and 22 people killed when the fuel truck crashed and exploded. The explosion caused huge damage to the surrounding area with cars and buildings engulfed in the blaze, causing millions of riyals in damage.
Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, minister of health, attended to inquiries from families of the injured and supervised their hospitalization.
MOH spokesman Dr. Khalid Mirghalani told Arab News yesterday another 32 accident victims are still in hospital and receiving treatment. “Nine of the 22 killed in the accident have been handed over to the next-of-kin,” he said.
Immediately following the accident Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah gave orders to treat the injured and provide all necessary healthcare at the expense of the state.
The Philippine Embassy in Riyadh is offering legal assistance to Robin Kebeng, the Filipino truck driver who is accused of causing the accident.
Yesterday, Raul Hernandez, foreign affairs assistant secretary and spokesman said “The driver is under investigation by the criminal investigation office in Riyadh. The investigation is ongoing.”
Hernandez said the Philippine Embassy is not sure what charges would be laid on the truck driver and the embassy did not want to comment due to the sensitivity of the issue. “We are coordinating with Kebeng’s family,” he said.
Kebeng, 43, has been working in Saudi Arabia for one year and is a registered member of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration. He and four other Filipinos were driving a convoy of fuel trucks over the bridge when the accident happened. The truck drivers survived the explosion. Kebeng is being treated as a suspect and has been placed under the custody of the criminal investigation office.