In a devastating incident on a highway between Mecca and Medina, an expatriate doctor working in Saudi Arabia faced an unimaginable loss as he tragically lost four of his family members in a road crash.

The mishap occurred as they were returning from performing Umrah in Mecca. The accident claimed the lives of his wife, her mother, and two of their children. Additionally, three other daughters sustained severe injuries, including hemorrhage and fractures, and are currently hospitalized.

Dr. Hassan Ahmed, a Sudanese national, revealed that the accident took place around 200 kilometers from Medina when their car overturned multiple times.

The family had planned to visit Medina to pray at the Prophet’s Mosque and spend time there before heading back to the city of Afif in central Saudi Arabia, where both Ahmed and his wife worked as doctors at a local hospital.

Tragically, his wife, her mother, and their two children aged six and three months lost their lives in the accident. The remaining three daughters are in critical condition, with two of them requiring ventilators after undergoing surgery to address internal bleeding.

This incident adds to a series of recent accidents on Saudi roads, highlighting the urgency of road safety measures. Saudi authorities have been striving to reduce road crashes by imposing stricter penalties for traffic offenses, resulting in a 35% drop in traffic fatalities over five years.

The human and economic toll of such accidents remains high, with an estimated annual cost of SR11.7 billion attributed to traffic accidents in Saudi Arabia.

The country continues its efforts to enhance road safety and protect its citizens and residents, emphasizing the importance of responsible driving practices to prevent further tragedies on the roads.