One person died and several South Asian expatriates were injured when their bus collided with a truck on the Taif-Riyadh highway on Thursday. The bus was traveling to Riyadh from Jeddah when the accident occurred.

“We have declared a medical emergency in Taif to receive and treat patients and sixteen patients were shifted to the King Abdulaziz and King Faisal hospitals, besides other hospitals in the city. Travelers with minor injuries were given first aid on the spot by health officials,” said Siraj Hamdan of the ministry in Taif.

Twenty-four ambulances and a helicopter were rushed to the spot to rescue and transport the injured passengers, he added.

Shaheen Sanallah, a Pakistani who was seriously injured in the crash, told Arab News from the hospital on the phone that “I can’t remember anything, but after suddenly hearing a heavy crashing sound, we realized that it was an accident.”

Another passenger, who is identified as Syed Anwar from India, was also seriously injured. Sources said that there were children and women among the injured. “I have lost my mobile phone and other valuables. I am not even able to reach any of my relatives or friends," said Saifullah, a Pakistani national.

Another serious road accident occurred a couple of hours later on Al-Sail Road when two speeding trucks collided, resulting in an eight-car pileup. The accident blocked the road for an hour, media reports said. Four people were injured, one of them seriously, in the accident.