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ABHA , Saudi Arabia (Arab News) — At least 26 people were killed and seven others injured when a Saudi Arabian Public Transport Company (SAPTCO) bus overturned in the southern town of Okbat Dhalae yesterday, police said. The accident took place while the bus was going to the town of Sabiya in Jizan, carrying passengers from Riyadh. The bus fell into a 300-meter deep ravine when the driver lost control at a sharp bend. The dead passengers included six Saudis including two women, seven Egyptians, four Yemenis, four Bangladeshis, two Filipinos, a Sri Lankan, a Somali and its Kenyan driver. According to Col. Abdullah Al-Garni, spokesman of Asir police, some of the injured were in critical condition. The injured included three Saudis including a woman, a Yemeni, advertisements a Pakistani, a Bangladeshi and a Kenyan, the driver’s assistant. They have been taken to the Asir Central Hospital.
Al-Garni said the accident took place in the middle of Wadi Kubri Al-Muallak. He ruled out suggestions that the accident occurred as a result of speeding, adding that it could have been caused by a faulty brake system. He said Okbat Al-Dhalae had witnessed a similar accident two years ago which claimed 25 lives. That accident was blamed on flash floods. Source: Arab News, Feb 23, 2008 |
