JEDDAH, 8 February 2003 — A pileup of 15 cars blocked the Southern Road for five hours on Thursday, Al-Riyadh reported. The accident, which destroyed several vehicles, was caused by poor visibility created by sandstorms.
According to the Arabic daily, 13 Saudis including nine women were injured in the accident, which occurred north of Aflaj. The injured were taken to Aflaj General Hospital.
Witnesses said leakage of diesel from a tanker and overturning of another tanker prolonged the blockage as Civil Defense officers took time to remove the fuel from the road.
Meanwhile, a Saudi child died and 19 others injured in Umm Al-Jamajim, 290 km north of Riyadh in a car crash involving two Saudi and Kuwaiti families on the International Road to Kuwait, police said.
The accident occurred when a van carrying 13 Kuwaitis rammed into a car in which a seven-member Saudi family was traveling. Medical sources at Artawiya General Hospital told Arab News that a pregnant Saudi woman has been admitted to the hospital’s intensive care unit.
