Two Indonesian Umrah pilgrims die in bus accident in Mecca

A bus carrying Indonesian umrah pilgrims was involved in an accident in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday, according to confirmation from the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday.

According to Judha Nugraha, the ministry's director for the protection of citizens and legal entities abroad, the accident happened around 11.30 p.m. local time. It is said to have been a single bus crash.

The driver and the muthawif, both Indonesian citizens, were killed in this tragedy (the umrah guide). Six pilgrims were hurt in the meantime, Judha said during a press conference on Thursday at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Indonesian Consulate General in Jeddah immediately dispatched a team to Mecca for consultation with local authorities after receiving the information, he continued. It was established that no additional people were involved in the accident.

The King Abdul Aziz Hospital in Mecca City provided medical care for the injured pilgrims. While the other is still receiving treatment, five of them have been permitted to continue their harrowing trek.

“We express our condolences over this accident and the Indonesian Consulate General in Jeddah is ready to provide assistance to the pilgrims,” Judha stated.

‘Indonesia, Iraq have highest numbers of umrah pilgrims’

The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah of Saudi Arabia revealed that Indonesian and Iraqi citizens had the highest attendance and participation rates for Umrah Rituals this year.

The ministry reported that more than two million visas for umrah have been issued to nationals of 176 countries since the start of 1444 AH.

Hani Al-Amiri, a member of the National Committee for Hajj and Umrah, emphasised that from the moment of arrival till they return to their countries, the visitors of Baitullah Al-Haram receive the greatest services from 150 service institutions and businesses.

According to Al-Amiri, the countries with the largest participation in umrah rituals were Indonesia, Iraq, Turkey, Pakistan, Malaysia, India, and Azerbaijan.

More than 30 million people visited Masjid al-Haram during the first three months of 1444 AH, according to the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque. In the same vein, more than 40 million pilgrims visited the Prophet's Mosque in the first three months of the current year.

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