At Least 20 Umrah Pilgrims Killed, Over 29 Injured In Bus Accident In Saudi Arabia

A heart-wrenching incident happened during the holy month of Ramadan in Saudi Arabia as at least 20 people were killed when a packed bus with full of Umrah pilgrims hit a bridge, overturned and caught fire, said a local media reports.

20 killed, over 29 injured in the incident

Moreover,  more than 29 pilgrims were injured during the same.

The tragic incident reportedly occurred as a result of brake failure. It took place on the roads linking Asir province and the city of Abha. The victims were on their way to Mecca to perform Umrah.

Several footages has surfaced on the internet of this incident, showing the charred remains of the bus.

https://twitter.com/DorisTremaine/status/1640502471196803073?s=20

After the incident, teams of Saudi civil defence and Red Crescent authority rushed to the site of the incident and cordoned off the area.

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Victims were Umrah pilgrims, not Hajj pilgrims, here’s why…

According to several media reports, those pilgrims were travelling to perform Hajj and were highlighted as Hajj pilgrims. However, as per authentic media reports from Saudi, those victims were travelling to perform Umrah. As Hajj takes place over the course of five days during the 12th month of the lunar Islamic calendar called Dhul-Hijjah. The dates for Hajj in 2023 are June 26th-30th, but people generally arrive a week earlier and stay a week afterwards. Whereas, Ramadan is known to be the 9th month of the lunar Islamic calendar.