ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday expressed “deep sorrow” over the killing of nine Pakistani Umrah pilgrims in a bus accident in Saudi Arabia.
The bus, carrying passengers who had performed Umrah, was en route to the Saudi capital of Riyadh from Madinah when the accident took place near the Al-Qasim area, according to Pakistan’s state-owned APP news agency. Nine Pakistanis were killed in the accident, including women and children, while five passengers were injured.
“Prime Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif has expressed deep sorrow and grief over the accident of the bus carrying Pakistani Umrah pilgrims in Saudi Arabia,” a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office said.
“The prime minister has instructed the Pakistani Embassy in Saudi Arabia to provide all possible assistance to the affected people.”
The incident occurred a month after a bus ferrying pilgrims to Makkah burst into flames after a collision on a bridge, killing 20 people and injuring more than two dozen others.
