JAKARTA, March 21 (Bernama) -- Six Indonesian Umrah pilgrims were killed, and 14 others injured in a bus accident on the Madinah-Mecca road in Saudi Arabia, Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
The ministry’s citizen protection director, Judha Nugraha, stated that the incident occurred on Thursday at 1.30 pm local time, or 5.30 pm western Indonesian time, in Wadi Qudeid, about 150 km from Jeddah.
“According to preliminary reports, the bus was involved in a collision, overturned, and caught fire,” he noted in a statement.
He explained that Indonesia’s Consulate General in Jeddah was notified of the crash and immediately dispatched a team from the Indonesian Citizen Protection Unit to the scene.
Officials have been coordinating with Saudi authorities, hospitals, the tour operator, the Ministry of Hajj, Muassasah, and the bus company to assess the situation and provide assistance.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is working with the Ministry of Religious Affairs and the Umrah agency to gather complete information on the Indonesian pilgrims involved and their families back home,” Judha said.
The injured victims have been taken to hospitals in Saudi Arabia for treatment, and the families of those affected have been notified.
“The Indonesian government has expressed its deepest condolences to the families of the six victims and assured continued support for those receiving medical care,” he said.
-- BERNAMA
