4 Umrah Pilgrims Injured as Bus Crashes near Mecca
The bus was transporting 50 pilgrims when it overturned on the road between Taef and the holy city of Mecca, news24 website reported.
A spokesman for Saudi Arabia’s Red Crescent Society (RCS) said an emergency team from the RCS was sent to the scene immediately after receiving news of the crash.
He said the passengers were from a number of Asian countries, adding that the injured were taken to nearby hospitals.
Saudi Arabia has been under harsh criticism for failing to provide security for Hajj pilgrims and mishandling of the religious ritual.
The kingdom is especially under fire over its role and handling of the Mina incident during the 2015 Hajj ceremony.
Hundreds of pilgrims lost their lives in the Mina disaster in September 2015, when two large masses of them were directed by Saudi authorities toward one another and fused at a crossroads in Mina. The pilgrims were on their way to participate in the symbolic stoning of Satan in Jamarat.
