Seven Bangladeshis were killed and six others injured in a road accident in Saudi Arabia, the Bangladesh Consulate General in Jeddah said in a preliminary report.

The crash happened around 2 am local time early Saturday at Al-Himna, while the victims were returning to Jeddah from Medina.

Thirteen members of three families were casualties in the crash. All of them hail from Cox’s Bazar district. The vehicle was carrying four Bangladeshi workers of the Al-Abeer company and their family members.

The vehicle was driven by a Pakistani national. Officials at the Khulais Traffic Office initially believe the driver lost control due to reckless speeding and the vehicle overturned. It was reportedly travelling at around 160 kilometres per hour at the time. The driver, however, claimed a tyre burst caused the accident. The exact cause will be known only after the authorities complete their investigation and issue a final report.

The dead are Ziaur Rahman, his three children Bushra, Yasir and Yayan, Alam Shah’s wife Sanjida and daughter Faria, and Ilyas’s wife Afsana Bibi.

The injured are Ziaur Rahman’s wife Shakira and daughter Yusra, Alam Shah and his son Faisal, Ilyas, and Gafur Alam.

Shakira and Gafur Alam are being treated at Khulais General Hospital, Yusra at King Abdulaziz Hospital in Jeddah, and Faisal at East Jeddah Hospital. Alam Shah and Ilyas were discharged after receiving necessary treatment.

The bodies of Ziaur Rahman and his three children are kept at Al-Himna General Hospital. The bodies of Sanjida, Faria and Afsana Bibi are at Khulais General Hospital.

The consulate said it took the necessary steps as soon as it learned of the accident. Besides contacting different offices and authorities concerned, its labour counsellor visited the Khulais Traffic Office with a legal assistant and collected details of the accident from officials there.

Afsana Bibi had travelled to Saudi Arabia a few days ago to perform Umrah.

Source: BSS