RIYADH — A special humanitarian flight arranged by the Saudi Foreign Ministry ferried British pilgrims, who were seriously injured in road accident, home to the UK on Saturday, the British Embassy announced yesterday.
Three British pilgrims were killed and 34 injured when their coach crashed on Dec. 9 on Al-Hijrah Road near Al-Braikah, 90 km north of Jeddah.
The bus carrying 50 passengers was en route to Makkah from Madinah. The accident occurred at a notorious black spot on a winding section of the Jeddah-Madinah Road. The bus hit a road barrier in the early morning after the driver fell asleep at the wheel, according to police.
The pilgrims returned home because their injuries were too serious for them to complete the Haj. “A small number of pilgrims were unable to stay for the Haj as a result of serious injuries,” Alex MacDonald from the British Embassy told Arab News.
MacDonald said in response to the situation and to enable the injured pilgrims to spend Eid with their families, the Saudi Foreign Ministry offered to repatriate them to the United Kingdom.
A private medivac plane carrying the pilgrims departed Jeddah at 1 p.m. on Saturday. When the pilgrims reached London’s Gatwick Airport, they were greeted by relatives who came from different parts of Britain.
A statement issued from the British Embassy yesterday said that the authorities and local hospitals in Jeddah and Makkah, alongside the Consulate General and the Foreign Office Emergency Response Team, provided emergency and longer term medical care for the victims immediately after the crash.
“We extend our warmest thanks to the government of Saudi Arabia which responded with outstanding generosity and commitment, a reflection of the support provided by the Saudi government to the millions of pilgrims who travel from all over the world to visit Makkah for Haj,” the statement concluded.
Foreign Secretary, Margaret Beckett, launched the British Haj delegation on Nov. 28, at London’s Central Mosque. Beckett said that the UK is the only non-Muslim country to give this level of assistance to its citizens in Makkah during the Haj.
“It is a sign of our commitment to providing the very highest quality consular assistance to all British people from all walks of life,” she said.
Around 125,000 Britons visit Saudi Arabia each year for the Haj and Umrah pilgrimages. Another 20,000 British expatriates live in the Kingdom.
