Nineteen Egyptian pilgrims die, 25 injured in bus overturn in Saudi Arabia

The Egyptian Consulate General in Jeddah has reported that a bus carrying 44 pilgrims was overturned on the Mecca-Medina road, killing 19 and injuring at least 25 others. Hesham al-Naqib, Assistant Foreign Minister for Consular Affairs and Egyptian Expatriates, released a press statement on Saturday.

The bodies of eight pilgrims remain unidentified, while five others have been transferred to Hemna hospital and six to Miqat hospital. The 25 injured have been transferred to different hospitals in Medina, according to Naqib.

The consulate has made contact with those injured in the incident, and is following the proper procedure for managing the dead bodies, he confirmed.

Chairman of the Egyptian Chamber of Travel and Tourism Agencies, Basil al-Sisi, said the incident occurred 150 km from Medina, and is being followed up by both the Standing Committee of the Hajj and Umrah and the Egyptian Embassy in Saudi Arabia.

Sisi said that the Standing Committee of the Hajj and Umrah will supervise the burial of victims. It is expected that the majority of victims will be buried in al-Baqie cemetary, Medina. He added that the Committee will also oversee the re-expatriation of bodies to Egypt, should families of victims wish.

According to Sisi, LE30,000 will be paid as a compensation to each family of the victims. The injured will be also compensated.

Initial investigations into the cause of the crash suggest that the driver, of Asian origin, fell asleep at the wheel, the Saudi Red Crescent reported.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm