13 Umrah Pilgrims Killed in Bus Crash in Saudi Arabia
They were in the kingdom to perform Umrah (minor) Hajj pilgrimage.
According to al-Sabaq news website, the accident left 13 people, including women and children, dead and 36 others injured.
It came a day after 18 pilgrims were injured in a stampede near the holy city of Makkah, despite the kingdom’s claims it is reviewing safety after a deadly crush during last year's Hajj.
The incident happened Friday night near the Grand Mosque in Mecca, the Al-Riyadh newspaper said, as Muslims gathered in large numbers to mark the Night of Destiny, one of the high points of the holy fasting month of Ramadan.
All the injured were treated at the scene and none required admission to hospital, the newspaper cited a health official as saying.
Every year, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims flock to Makkah to carry out the Umrah pilgrimage during Ramadan – especially during its last 10 days.
Last year, a crush at Hajj killed over 7,000 pilgrims in the worst disaster to ever strike the annual ritual. Among them were more than 400 Iranian pilgrims.
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