According to report, the incident passed off after car collided with a bridge. (Representational)

Riyadh:

A bus ferrying pilgrims to the holy metropolis of Mecca burst into flames after a collision on a bridge on Monday, killing 20 individuals and injuring greater than two dozen others, Saudi state media reported.

The incident within the southern province of Asir highlights persistent challenges to securely transporting worshippers to Mecca and Medina, the holiest cities in Islam.

It comes throughout the first week of Ramadan, a busy time for umrah pilgrimages, and simply months earlier than thousands and thousands of Muslims are anticipated to make the annual hajj pilgrimage.

“According to preliminary information we have now received, the number of deaths in this accident reached 20, and the total number of injuries was approximately 29,” the state-affiliated Al-Ekhbariya channel reported.

It mentioned the victims had “different nationalities” however didn’t point out them or present a breakdown.

The channel mentioned the bus had “car trouble”, with out specifying, whereas the personal newspaper Okaz mentioned the accident resulted from a problem with the brakes.

The car “then collided with a bridge, overturned and caught fire”.

Footage broadcast on Al-Ekhbariya confirmed a reporter standing in entrance of what seemed to be the burnt-out shell of the bus.

Transporting worshippers round Saudi Arabia’s holy websites is a deadly process, significantly throughout the hajj, when roads will be chaotic with buses creating interminable visitors jams.

In October 2019, some 35 foreigners had been killed and 4 others injured when a bus collided with one other heavy car close to Medina.

Yet pilgrimages are a vital part of a burgeoning tourism sector that Saudi officers hope will assist diversify the dominion’s economic system away from fossil fuels.

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