MADINAH: Five Malaysian pilgrims died when the bus they were traveling in lost control and crashed into a mountainside yesterday.
Col. Samir Al-Asdi, commander of the Highway Patrol in Madinah, said the bus lost control and hit a fence before crashing into the side of a small mountain about 46 km outside Madinah. Al-Asdi said there were 20 pilgrims on the bus. He said three of the pilgrims died on the spot and two died later in hospital.
He said teams from the Fire Department worked hard to free trapped passengers from the wreckage. The cause of the accident is yet to be determined.
The pilgrims were traveling to Madinah from Makkah.
