Staff Reporter

The identities of seven Bangladeshi nationals killed in a road accident in Saudi Arabia have been confirmed by the Bangladesh Consulate in Jeddah. The victims belonged to three families. Six other Bangladeshis were injured in the accident. All the victims and injured individuals are from Cox's Bazar district.

The Bangladesh Consulate in Jeddah confirmed the information on Saturday night (November 7), local time.

According to the consulate, the accident occurred at around 2:00 am on October 7 while the Bangladeshis were returning from Madinah to Jeddah. The incident took place in an area called Al-Himna, leaving 13 Bangladeshis dead or injured.

The seven deceased were members of three families. Four belonged to the family of Ziaur Rahman, two to the family of Alam Shah and one to the family of Ilias.

The four deceased members of Ziaur Rahman's family were Ziaur Rahman, his daughter Bushra and his two sons, Yasir and Yazan. Their bodies have been kept at Al-Himna General Hospital.

Two other members of the family were injured: Ziaur Rahman's wife, Shakira, and daughter, Yusra. Shakira is receiving treatment at Khulais General Hospital, while Yusra is undergoing treatment at King Abdulaziz Hospital in Jeddah.

Two members of Alam Shah's family also died in the accident. They were his wife, Sanjida, and daughter, Faria. Their bodies have been kept at Al-Himna General Hospital and Khulais General Hospital, respectively.

Among the injured members of this family, Alam Shah was discharged from the hospital after receiving primary treatment. His son, Faisal, is receiving treatment at East Jeddah Hospital.

One member of Ilias's family also died. His wife, Afsana Bibi, who had travelled to Saudi Arabia a few days earlier to perform Umrah, was killed in the accident. Her body has been kept at Khulais General Hospital. Ilias was also injured but was discharged after receiving initial treatment.

Another injured Bangladeshi national, Gafur Alam, is receiving treatment at Khulais General Hospital.

Preliminary investigations indicate that the vehicle involved in the accident was being driven by a Pakistani national. The vehicle was reportedly travelling at approximately 160 kilometres per hour when the accident occurred.

Traffic officials initially suspect that excessive speed caused the driver to lose control, resulting in the vehicle overturning. However, the driver claimed that a tyre burst caused the accident. The actual cause will be determined after the authorities issue their final investigation report.

According to information, four of the passengers involved in the accident were employed by Al-Abir Company. Salman, manager of the company's Makkah branch, said the four employees were travelling in the vehicle along with their family members.

Following news of the accident, the Bangladesh Consulate General in Jeddah took immediate steps to assist the victims. The consulate's Labour Counsellor, accompanied by a legal assistant, visited the Khulais Traffic Office and held discussions with the relevant officials.

The consulate said it had taken necessary measures regarding the repatriation of the deceased's bodies to Bangladesh and the medical treatment of the injured.