Muscat: Nine Omanis who died when their bus collided with a truck in Saudi Arabia were buried Saturday morning after their bodies were flown home on Friday evening.
The nine men were identified as Nasser Al Wahaibi, Ebrahim Al Muzaini, Salim Al Balushi, Ahmad Al Mawali, Mahmoud Al Hashemi, Mohammad Al Shukairi, Mohammad Al Mawali, Bashar Al Wahaibi, and Mus’ab Al Wahaibi.
Meanwhile, 20 other injured Omanis will be hospitalised in government hospitals in Muscat.
Seven of the injured are still in critical condition, according to a Khoulah hospital source.
“It was very horrific. The driver of the bus lost control and tried to avoid a collision with a heavy truck that suddenly entere the road,” Ahmad Al Wahaibi, one of the survivors of the accident told Gulf News.
Ahmad said all the passengers were screaming and asking for help as body parts were strewn everwhere.
The nine people who died were all sitting in the front of the bus.
Ahmad along with his wife and six-year-old child were sitting in the back of the bus and luckily survived.
His wife and child sustained medium injuries but are in stable condition.
Saudi nationals welcomed into their homes 18 of the victims after they were discharged from the hospital in Saudi.
Meanwhile in Oman, over a hundred people flocked to donate blood in the province of Bausher, to assist in the medical treatment of the victims.
A hashtag was launched for the victims, “Omanis road accident in Bakhrees”, where many tweets offered condolences to the families of the deceased and wished the injured a speedy recovery.
Fifty-five Omanis were performing Umarah in Makkah and were on their way home by bus when their bus collided with a truck between Riyadh and Al Ahsa, 330 kilometres to the east.
Last year, four Omanis were killed in different road accidents in Saudi Arabia after performing Umrah.
