All 13 people killed or injured in a road accident in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday were residents of Cox’s Bazar district in Bangladesh. This information was provided in a report sent to Dhaka by the Bangladesh Consulate in Jeddah Saturday night.
The accident occurred in the Al-Himna area as they were returning to Jeddah from Medina.
The Jeddah consulate said seven Bangladeshis were killed and six were injured in the accident. The victims belonged to three families. Four of them, including the heads of three families, were employed by Al-Abir Company in Saudi Arabia.
Mohammad Salman, manager of the company’s Mecca branch, told consulate officials that the vehicle involved in the accident was carrying a total of 13 passengers, including four Bangladeshi employees of the company and their family members.
According to the consulate’s report, Ziaur Rahman, his two sons, Yasir and Yazan, and his daughter Bushra were killed in the accident. His wife, Shakira, and daughter, Yusra, are receiving treatment in hospital.
Alam Shah, who was travelling in the same vehicle, lost his wife, Sanjida, and daughter, Faria. Alam Shah and his son Faisal are receiving treatment in hospital. Meanwhile, Ilias, who was injured in the accident, lost his wife, Afsana Bibi. The other injured person was Gafur Alam.
The vehicle was reportedly travelling at an estimated speed of 160 kilometres per hour at the time of the accident. According to the traffic department’s preliminary assessment, the vehicle lost control and overturned due to excessive speed.
However, the actual cause of the accident will be known in detail once the relevant authorities complete their investigation and issue their final report.