20 Umrah Pilgrims Killed

Pilgrim bus crash in Saudi kills 20: state media

Victims had “different nationalities,” state media.
Vehicle “collided with a bridge, overturned and caught fire”: media.
First week of Ramadan is a busy time for umrah pilgrimages.

RIYADH: 20 Umrah Pilgrims Killed, 29 Injured in Bus Crash, A bus carrying pilgrims to the holy city of Mecca caught fire on Monday after a collision on a bridge, killing 20 people and injuring more than two dozen others, Saudi state media reported.

The incident in the southern province of Asir highlights the ongoing problems in transporting worshipers safely to Mecca and Medina, Islam’s holiest cities.

It comes during the first week of Ramadan, a busy time for Umrah pilgrimages, and just months before millions of Muslims are expected to make the annual Hajj pilgrimage.

“According to the preliminary information we have now received, the death toll in this accident has reached 20 and the total number of injured is approximately 29,” state-run Al-Ekhbariya channel reported.

She said the victims were of “various nationalities” but did not name them or provide a breakdown.

The channel said the bus had “car problems” without elaborating, while privately owned newspaper Okaz said a brake problem caused the accident.

The vehicle “subsequently crashed into a bridge, overturned and caught fire.”

Footage broadcast on Al-Ekhbariya showed a reporter standing in front of what appeared to be the burnt shell of a bus.

Pilgrim Bus Crash

Transporting worshipers around Saudi Arabia’s holy sites is a dangerous task, especially during the Hajj, when roads can be chaotic and buses create endless traffic jams.

In October 2019, about 35 foreigners were killed and four others injured when a bus collided with another heavy vehicle near Medina.

Still, the pilgrimages are an essential part of a burgeoning tourism sector that Saudi officials hope will help diversify the kingdom’s economy away from fossil fuels.