JEDDAH, 13 February 2006 — Six women teachers were among nine people who died in a major road accident near Khamis Mushayt in the southern Asir region as a large truck rammed into their minibus head-on, Al-Watan newspaper reported yesterday.
The accident occurred while the teachers were returning from their school. A security source blamed the truck driver, who escaped with minor injuries, for the accident. He lost control of the vehicle as a result of speeding, the source said.
According to a teacher at Shafan Girls Primary, the school will now have only five teachers. Nawal Al-Qahtani, who used to travel with her colleagues in the same minibus, said she would have been among the victims if she had not rented a flat near the school a few days ago.
The security source said the truck driver had neither a driver’s license nor an iqama at the time of the accident. He has been detained for questioning. Lt. Col. Ahmed Shami, director of civil defense in Khamis Mushayt, said his officers had a hard time removing bodies from the wreckage.
