JEDDAH — Abdul Mohsen Saleh, the Kenyan assistant driver of the Saudi Arabian Public Transport Company (SAPTCO) bus that fell into a ravine in Okbat Dhalae last Friday, said he was in deep slumber when the accident occurred.
Speaking to Arab News lying in his bed at the Central Asir Hospital, Saleh said his fellow driver Aziz, also a Kenyan, was driving the vehicle when the accident took place at a sharp bend in the middle of a bridge near Abha.
Aziz died in the accident along with 25 others, including six Saudis. “Aziz took over the steering from me from Khamis Mushayt, about 32 km from the accident site, after taking rest,” he pointed out.
He said the bus began its journey from Riyadh at 5.30 p.m. on Thursday and had stopped at Al-Kharj, Aflaj and Saleel to drop and collect passengers. “I drove the bus from Saleel to Khamis Mushayt. After that I went to sleep in the compartment. I woke up hearing a loud bang when the bus fell from the bridge.
“I was inside the compartment and saw some light coming inside through a hole. I broke the barrier with my leg and got out of the bus,” he explained.
A number of SAPTCO officials had come to visit Saleh at the hospital.
Ali Othman, 40, and Ahmed Hassan, 23, both Yemenis, said the driver lost control at a sharp bend on the bridge, locally known as the Kubri Al-Muallak. Othman, a father of 10, works at a Riyadh press. He was going to Yemen through Jizan.
Hassan, who worked at a toys shop, was traveling to Sabya where his family has been residing for the last 20 years.
