A bus carrying pilgrims heading for Mecca, Saudi Arabia, burst into flames after a collision on a bridge on Monday March 27, killing 20 people and injuring around 30 others.
The accident, which took place in the southern province of Asir, comes during the first week of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, when many Muslims perform the Umrah pilgrimage (small pilgrimage), and a few months before the annual pilgrimage of hajj.
“According to preliminary information we have received, the number of dead in this accident was 20 people, and the total number of injured was around 29”reported the state channel, Al-Ekhbariya.
Thirty-five dead in an accident in 2019
The victims are from “different nationalities”, according to the channel, which did not give further details. Al-Ekhbariya released footage showing a reporter standing in front of what appeared to be the charred carcass of a bus.
Transporting pilgrims on the roads of Saudi Arabia can be perilous, especially during the hajj, when endless traffic jams are created by the buses full of worshippers. In October 2019, 35 foreigners were killed and four others injured in the collision between a bus and another heavy vehicle near Medina.
Pilgrimages are an important part of the tourism sector, which Saudi leaders rely on to diversify their fossil fuel-dependent economy.
