JEDDAH, 29 June — Eight members of a single Saudi family perished in an appalling road accident in the southern Asir region on Thursday, press reports said.
And in another accident on the Southern Road near Aflaj, an Indian was killed and two others were injured.
The Saudi family involved in the accident was heading to Uhd Masareha in Jizan in a GMC van.
The driver, who was the father, lost control of the vehicle and it fell from Bahsa bridge into a deep valley.
Police believe that the accident might have been caused by the vehicle’s poor brakes.
Col. Sultan Al-Osaimy, director of traffic in the region, said his officers saw road marks from the vehicle’s tires for up to 100 meters before it left the bridge and plunged into the valley.
"It seems that the driver unsuccessfully tried to reduce speed after he had lost control of the vehicle," he added.
According to Al-Madinah newspaper, the dead included both the father and mother, their five daughters aged between five and 22, and a six-year-old son. Two small girls escaped with injuries, but doctors at the Central Asir Hospital said they were in a serious condition.
The family was from the Eastern Province.
The vehicle broke an iron barrier before falling into the ravine, Okaz reported.
The traffic police, Civil Defense and Saudi Red Crescent teams rushed to the area for rescue operations and to take the injured to hospital.
In the second accident that took place on the Southern Road close to Khafra in Aflaj governorate, an Indian was killed and two others were injured when a truck collided with a passenger car. The Egyptian driver of the truck escaped with minor injuries.
The Indian was trapped inside the car and passersby were unable to rescue him. He died before Civil Defense teams reached the spot.
The Southern Road witnesses horrible accidents almost daily because of a combination of narrow lanes and heavy traffic.
