In a tragic road accident, a young Saudi girl and five of her relatives died when a huge trailer hit the car in which they were traveling.

The accident in Dammam once again highlighted the dangers that lurk on the many highways and road arteries that crisscross the Kingdom.

Road accidents killed more than 7,000 people in Saudi Arabia in 2011, making it the country with the world’s deadliest traffic record, far surpassing the casualties in the last Gulf war.

There was an element of poignancy to the tragedy on Wednesday because the young girl was set for her marriage a day later.

A spokesman of the Saudi Red Crescent said the accident took place at 10.40 a.m. in Qaisuma on Wednesday. “We found that seven people had died in the incident, including the trailer driver.”

More than 68,000 people were injured in road accidents in 2011.