RIYADH, 14 August — Two Indonesian pilgrims were killed and 13 slightly injured in a road accident on their way to Makkah to perform Umrah, Al-Bilad newspaper reported yesterday. The two, a man and a woman, were killed instantly when a truck hit their minibus near Shumaisy on the Jeddah-Makkah Expressway.
The Arabic daily said the truck which was carrying paints hit at the back of the bus, which then overturned.
The civil defense, traffic and Red Crescent officers rushed to the accident spot to carry out rescue operations.
The injured were taken to hospital.
According to Al-Riyadh newspaper the pilgrims included Malaysians and Singaporeans. Saudi Arabia has one of the world’s highest rates of traffic accidents, according to the Transport Ministry.
Official reports record more than 35,000 road deaths over the past 10 years.
