Consulate identifies seven Bangladeshis killed in Saudi road crash; three families bereaved
The seven Bangladeshi nationals killed in a road accident in Saudi Arabia belonged to three families. Six more people were injured. All of the dead and injured are from Cox’s Bazar district.
The Bangladesh Consulate in Jeddah shared the information on Saturday night (7 November), local time.
The consulate said the accident happened around 2am on the night of 7 October, when the group was returning from Madina to Jeddah, at a place called Al-Himna. A total of 13 Bangladeshis were killed or injured.
The dead belonged to three families: four from Ziaur Rahman’s family, two from Alam Shah’s family and one from Elias’s family.
The four from Ziaur Rahman’s family were Ziaur Rahman himself, his daughter Bushra and his two sons Yasir and Yazaan. Their bodies have been kept at Al-Himna General Hospital.
The two injured members of that family are Ziaur Rahman’s wife Shakira and daughter Yusra. Shakira is under treatment at Khulais General Hospital, and Yusra at King Abdul Aziz Hospital in Jeddah.
The two from Alam Shah’s family who died were his wife Sanjida and daughter Faria. Their bodies have been kept at Al-Himna and Khulais General Hospitals respectively.
Of the two injured in that family, Alam Shah was discharged after primary treatment. His son Faisal is under treatment at East Jeddah Hospital.
One member of Elias’s family died: his wife Afsana Bibi, who had arrived in Saudi Arabia a few days earlier to perform Umrah. Her body has been kept at Khulais General Hospital. Elias left hospital after primary treatment.
Another injured Bangladeshi, Gafur Alam, is under treatment at Khulais General Hospital.
The preliminary investigation found that the vehicle was being driven by a Pakistani national, and its speed at the time of the accident was about 160 kilometres per hour. The traffic office’s preliminary view is that the vehicle overturned after the driver lost control due to excessive speed. The driver, however, claims a tyre burst caused the crash. The final report from the authorities is awaited to establish the real cause.
Four of the passengers worked at Al-Abir Company. According to Salman, manager of the company’s Mecca branch, those four workers and their family members were in the vehicle.
As soon as news of the accident arrived, the Bangladesh Consulate General in Jeddah acted swiftly. The consulate’s counsellor (labour), accompanied by a legal assistant, went to the Khulais traffic office and spoke to the officials concerned.
The consulate said it has taken the necessary steps to send the bodies home and to arrange treatment for the injured.
