JEDDAH: Seven people died recently in a tragic road accident when a bus carrying a number of female teachers and students collided with a sports utility vehicle on the Umluj-Al-Ruwaidhat road.

The dead included three teachers, two girl students and the drivers of both vehicles. The vehicles reportedly collided head-on, with the bus bursting into flames. The bus had come from a school on the Hijrat Al-Ruwaidhat road.

Police, Saudi Red Crescent and Civil Defense teams arrived on the scene but were not able to save anyone. Khalid Murdhi Al-Anzi, spokesman of the Saudi Red Crescent in Tabuk, said all the passengers had died on the scene, which was 20 km from Umluj.

The teachers were Ghada Salim Al-Habishi, Rasha Hamza Al-Safri and Juhainah Nasseer Al-Marwani. The two girl students were Nada Nassir Al-Safri and Ahdab Abdur Rahman Al-Saidalani. The drivers who died were identified as Hamdan Hamid Al-Marzouqi and Abdullah Ghanim Al-Dhubyani.

There are no accurate statistics on the exact number of female teachers who have been killed in road accidents in Saudi Arabia while on their way to school and back.

But a recent study indicated that around 150 female teachers died in accidents last year alone. The study noted 56 percent of vehicles used for transporting teachers are not fit to travel on highways while a further 22 percent have worn out tires, Al-Riyadh daily reported.

Umm Fatimah works as a teacher at a school more than a hundred kilometers from where she lives. The trip to her school and back home takes 5 hours.

Sometimes, the vehicle breaks down midway, causing the teachers to be late for class. “I remain constantly worried throughout the long trip," she said.