RIYADH: A bus ferrying pilgrims to the holy city of Mecca in the Kingdom burst into flames after a crash on a bridge on Monday, killing twenty people and wounding more than two dozen, Saudi state media reported.
The horrible incident in the southern province of Asir highlights persistent challenges to safely transporting worshippers to the holiest cities in Islam, Mecca and Medina. It comes during the first week of the holy month of Ramadan, a busy time for umrah pilgrimages, and just months before millions of Muslims are expected to make the hajj pilgrimage.
“According to initial information we have now received, the number of deaths in this accident reached 20, and the total number of wounds was approximately 29,” the state-affiliated Al-Ekhbariya channel reported. It said the victims had “different nationalities” but didn’t mention them or provide a breakdown.
The channel said that the bus had “car trouble” without specifying, while the private newspaper Okaz said the accident resulted from a brake problem.
Transporting worshippers around Saudi Arabia’s holy sites is difficult, particularly during the hajj when roads can be chaotic, with buses creating interminable traffic jams.
In the year 2019, some 35 people were killed and four others wounded when the bus collided with another heavy vehicle near Medina.
Yet pilgrimages are essential to a burgeoning tourism sector that Saudi officials hope would help diversify the kingdom’s economy away from fossil fuels.
