JEDDAH, 30 January 2003 — Three people, including a noted scholar and Islamic leader from the south Indian state of Kerala, died when a bus carrying pilgrims from Makkah to Madinah collided with a trailer truck yesterday.
Fifteen pilgrims were injured in the accident, two of them seriously, relatives of the victims told Arab News.
Vallila Muhammad Faisi, who was leading the Al-Mabrouk pilgrims’ group from Kerala, died on the spot. Another pilgrim and the driver of the bus died in the accident, which took place early in the morning close to Madinah.
Faisi, 40, was the Malappuram district president of the Sunni Yuvajana Sangham and a former president of the Sunni Students Federation, two popular Islamic groups in the state.
In another accident involving Keralite pilgrims yesterday, 35 people escaped with minor injuries when their bus skidded off the road after the driver lost control. The pilgrims were on their way to Madinah.
