MAKKAH: A water truck overturned on a busy road in Makkah yesterday morning, disrupting rush-hour traffic, police said.
The accident in the Shisha neighborhood of Aziziah district caused no deaths or major injuries though the road was filled with vehicles and pedestrians, officials said.
Col. Ahmed bin Nashi Al-Otaibi, director of traffic police in Makkah, said the truck, which was loaded with water, overturned as the driver lost control when he tried to exit the King Khaled Bridge.
He said the driver and his companion in the passenger seat suffered minor injuries and were taken to hospital by the Red Crescent.
Col. Otaibi said the truck was later towed away to safety before the road was reopened for traffic. Police had blocked all roads in the area immediately after the accident.
Col. Ali Al-Muntashiri, spokesman for the Civil Defense in Makkah, said as soon as the department was notified of the accident, a rescue team was dispatched to the scene.
The team pulled out the driver and the man in the passenger seat from the wreckage. The Civil Defense unit also helped the traffic police tow away the truck to a safe location. This area has witnessed many similar accidents, some of which resulted in deaths and injuries as well as heavy material loss.
