“The accident occurred when the minibus carrying 13 students and a Land Cruiser driven by a Saudi in his 30s crashed head-on. The drivers of both the vehicles died on the spot,” spokesman for the Hail police Col. Abdul Aziz Al-Zenaidi told Arab News.
Two critically injured students were admitted to King Khaled Hospital in Hail, the spokesman added. But one student later died in hospital, raising the death toll to 14.
One of the women who died in the tragedy was pregnant, the spokesman added. The students were traveling to the university from the village of Hulaifah, 200 km south of Hail city.
Funeral prayers for the dead were held at the Barzan mosque after Asr prayer. Two of the dead women were sisters of the minibus driver, who was aged 29. All the students and the driver belonged to the Al-Rasheedi clan in Hail.
On being notified about the terrible accident at 7:30 a.m., police rushed to the location, the official said. Traffic and Civil Defense officials who were on the site had to remove the bodies from the mangled metal of the minibus and the SUV, he said, adding that a large number of people from nearby towns too rushed to the location upon hearing about the tragic incident.
Hail Gov. Prince Saud bin Abdul Mohsen, who set up a committee to investigate the circumstances that led to the accident, conveyed his condolences to the bereaved relatives of the accident victims.
The prince also vowed to take stringent action if the accident was the result of any official negligence and stressed the need for total solution to transport problems, including conveyance of women students and teachers, speeding and road conditions.
The prince also ordered his undersecretary and the police chief to visit the hospital to ensure excellent medical services to the surviving victims.
President of Hail University Khalil Al-Barahim and Director of Hail Police Maj. Gen. Yahya Al-Biladi also conveyed their condolences to the bereaved families.
Al-Barahim also expressed his sadness at the tragic death of the students and called on all students to take precautions while traveling to the college.
