MADINAH — Eight pilgrims were killed and 37 others injured when a bus overturned on Al-Hijra road in Madinah. Col. Khaled Al-Juhani, spokesman of Madinah Civil Defense, said rescue teams from the Civil Defense rushed to the location after they received reports of the accident, which occurred 14 kilometers outside Madinah. The pilgrims, who had performed Umrah in Makkah a day earlier, were on their way back to Madinah to celebrate Eid Al-Fitr. According to the Civil Defense, the bus rolled over several times after the driver lost control of the vehicle and hit an electricity pylon. There were 45 pilgrims inside the bus from different nationalities. Six teams from the civil defense freed the injured pilgrims who were trapped inside the bus and rushed them to King Fahd Hospital for treatment. Air ambulances took part in the rescue operation. According to Col. Muhammad Ajlan Al-Shanbary, Director of Madinah Region Traffic Department, preliminary investigations indicate that the driver dozed off at the wheel. “There weren't any skid marks on the road, which indicates that there wasn't an emergency as the driver did not slam on the brakes. He probably fell asleep at the wheel,” said Al-Shanbary. The highway patrol is investigating the accident.
