In a regrettable incident, two vehicles transporting students and schoolteachers collided in south-western Saudi Arabia, resulting in nine injuries, as reported by local media on Sunday.

A minibus, ferrying female teachers and schoolchildren, collided with a vehicle carrying students in the early morning in the Al Baha region's governorate of Al Makhwah, according to Saudi news portal Sabq.

The cause of the accident, which prompted the dispatch of four teams from the Saudi Red Crescent, remains unclear. The injured victims were promptly transported to a local hospital.

A local Red Crescent spokesman informed Saudi news website Ajel that among the victims, five sustained medium injuries, three had minor wounds, and one person was seriously injured.

In recent months, Saudi Arabia has witnessed an unfortunate series of road accidents despite intensified efforts to reduce them. Last November, a three-car collision claimed eight lives and critically injured five individuals in the south-western part of the country.

As part of these efforts, official figures for 2022 revealed that 4,555 people lost their lives in traffic accidents in Saudi Arabia, with 16,962 recorded serious road accidents—a 6.8% decrease compared to the previous year. This tragic incident adds to the ongoing concerns surrounding road safety in the country.