Seven Bangladeshis, Including Women and Children, Killed in Saudi Road Crash; Six Injured

Seven Bangladeshis, including women and children, were killed in a tragic road accident on the way from Medina to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. Six others were injured. All of the dead and injured are residents of Chakaria upazila in Cox's Bazar district of Bangladesh.

The accident happened at around 2 a.m. local time last Friday (November 6). The information was given in a report sent from the Bangladesh Consulate in Jeddah to Dhaka on Saturday night.

According to the consulate's report, the accident occurred in the Al-Himna area on the way back from Medina to Jeddah. There were 13 passengers in the vehicle, members of three families.

The vehicle was travelling at an estimated speed of 160 kilometres per hour at the time of the accident, it has been learnt. According to the traffic department's preliminary view, the vehicle lost control and overturned because of excessive speed. However, the exact cause of the accident will be known in detail once the authorities concerned complete their investigation and final report.

All of the victims were associated with the Al-Abir Cold Store Trading Company in Saudi Arabia. Four people, including the heads of the three families, worked for the company.

In the accident, the company's storekeeper Ziaur Rahman, his two sons Yasir and Yazan, and his daughter Bushra were killed. His wife Shakira and daughter Yusra are undergoing treatment in hospital.

Alam Shah, who was in the same vehicle, lost his wife Sanjida and his one-month-old daughter Faria. Alam Shah and his son Faisal are undergoing treatment in hospital.

Iliyas, who was injured in the accident, lost his wife Afsana Bibi. The other injured person is Gafur Alam.

Md. Salman, manager of the company's Makkah branch, told consulate officials that the vehicle carried four Bangladeshi workers employed by the company, along with their family members — 13 passengers in total.

The identities of the victims were confirmed from information provided by the company's marketing manager Nuruzzaman.

After the accident, the bodies of the seven Bangladeshis were kept at the morgue of a government hospital in Medina.

After the news of the accident reached their relatives back home, grief fell over the families. The death of seven Bangladeshis in a single accident has caused deep sorrow among their relatives, colleagues and expatriate Bangladeshis living in Saudi Arabia.

There is still no confirmed information from the authorities concerned about when the bodies will be sent back to Bangladesh. Relatives are still waiting for the bodies to be brought home and handed over to the families.