MADINAH: Police said yesterday a driver and his assistant were killed when a Qatar-bound bus carrying pilgrims of different nationalities rear-ended a gasoline truck at Hanakiya, 100 km east of this holy city, on the Qassim highway.
“The speeding bus, belonging to a transport company in Qatar, rammed at the rear of a fuel truck. The driver and his assistant were killed, and 35 Umrah pilgrims suffered injuries of varying degrees,” the spokesman said.
All 35 passengers were treated for minor to serious injuries at Madinah’s King Fahd Hospital.
In another accident, Civil Defense rescued 48 Syrian pilgrims traveling in a bus on the Makkah highway when their bus caught fire after a front tire burst shortly after leaving Madinah, the official said. Police are investigating both the cases.
