Manama: Three Bahraini pilgrims were killed and four injured in a traffic accident in Saudi Arabia as they were heading home following their pilgrimage.
Reports said the accident occurred on Sunday morning in Al Gwaiyyah, around 175 kilometres southwest of the capital Riyadh when the driver lost control of the van following a tyre burst, causing it to somersault several times.
The Bahraini foreign ministry tweeted on its account that the embassy was following up the accident and that it was taking the necessary measures.
Adnan Al Qattan, the head of the Bahraini pilgrimage delegation, said the Bahraini pilgrims were going home in their private vehicle when they had the accident.
Two of the injured are still in a critical condition while the other two received the necessary treatment and would leave the hospital, he added.
“All the Bahraini pilgrims who had signed up with official Haj operators are doing well and performed their pilgrimage without major problems,” he said, quoted by Bahrain News Agency (BNA).
“Bahraini pilgrims have started going home and we expect all of them to be in Bahrain by the end of this week. Some pilgrims have planned to go to Madina before heading home,” he said.
All Haj rituals were performed between Tuesday and Sunday.
Performing Haj, the last of the five pillars of Islam, is required from all physically and financially able adult Muslims.
