20 killed, over 24 injured as bus carrying Mecca pilgrims crashes into bridge, burst into flames in Saudi

At least 20 Umrah pilgrims were killed and over 24 injured in Saudi Arabia after a bus carrying them crashed into a bridge on Monday.

Mar 28, 2023

At least 20 people were killed and over 24 injured after a bus carrying Umrah pilgrims burst into flames after crashing into a bridge on Monday, Saudi state media Gulf News reported.

The accident occurred at around 4 pm in Aqabat Shaar in Asir province. The bus had departed from Khamis Mushayt and was heading to Abha region when the accident happened.

Reportedly, the collision happened because of a problem with breaks on the bus. The bus collided with a barrier at the end of a bridge, then overturned and caught fire, Gulf News reported.

"According to preliminary information that we have now received, the number of deaths in this accident reached 20, and the total number of injuries was approximately 29," Al Ekhbariya TV reported.

The TV channel said that the victims belonged to different countries but did not mention their nationalities.