JEDDAH, 15 May 2004 — Seven pilgrims were killed and 57 others injured on their way to Makkah on Thursday when their bus overturned on the Riyadh-Taif Highway.
The cause of the accident was not clear. Some surviving passengers said the driver fell asleep at the wheel but others blamed a burst tire and excessive speed.
Traffic police, Civil Defense rescue teams and Red Crescent volunteers rushed to the scene soon after news of the accident reached them at around 1.30 a.m.
The bus belonging to a Haj and Umrah operator started the journey from Riyadh at 4 p.m. on Thursday. The accident occurred at Ateef, 80 kilometers from Taif, when the driver lost control of the vehicle, passengers said.
Abdul Hameed Al-Abdul Hameed, an Egyptian, said the bus was running smoothly and most passengers were sleeping.
“Just before reaching Taif, one of the officials stood up to give some religious advice. Then we heard a loud noise and the bus swerved off the road,” he said.
Al-Abdul Hameed’s wife died and one of his sons was injured in the incident.
Nasser Abdul Rahman Al-Samhary, 70, told reporters from his hospital bed he lost his wife and his 12-year-old daughter was injured in the accident. Two of the dead were identified as Saleh Al-Jowhara and Rawan.
The injured included 15 Saudis, 28 Egyptians, six Pakistanis, three Yemenis and two Sudanese. The injured were admitted to King Faisal Hospital and King Abdul Aziz Specialist Hospital in Taif. Most were released.
Dr. Khaled Al-Sameery, director of health in Taif, said an emergency had been declared at all health facilities in the area.
He said seven Red Crescent teams took part in the rescue operation.
“We have also called 30 doctors and 100 nurses on special duty to deal with the situation,” Al-Madinah Arabic daily quoted him as saying.
Meanwhile, a number of bus operators stressed the need to limit the working hours of bus drivers as countless accidents are caused by exhausted drivers who fall asleep at the wheel.
