ABHA: The death toll of the ill-fated GMC van that got stuck in the desert sand rose to 15 with the discovery of two more bodies, a Saudi and a foreigner, late Thursday night.
The vehicle was smuggling 13 overstayers of various nationalities from the southern region when it got stuck in the sand in Al-Muhmal Desert, a popular back-route used to avoid highway checkpoints. The two new bodies were found about five kilometers away from the car, Bisha police said.
Col. Abdullah bin Ayidh Al-Qarni, spokesman for police in Asir province, said the dead included 13 overstayers of various nationalities who were being smuggled to Riyadh.
“Some of the bodies were found four to five kilometers away from the car. All bodies were taken to King Abdullah Hospital in Bisha and an attempt will be made to identify the bodies using DNA samples,” said Al-Qarni, adding that police were able to identify the bodies of two Yemenis who had their passports with them.
“The owner of the truck, Abdullah bin Awad bin Ahmed Al-Qahtani, who was at the wheel, and his brother both died in this death journey,” he added.
According to police reports, the driver and his brother were taking the overstayers to Riyadh through the Al-Muhmal Desert when the car got stuck in sand.
The men could not pull it out and so some remained near the car hoping they may be rescued, while others walked across the desert hoping to find water.
Police did not reveal whether the group included women and children.
