Riyadh: In a tragic road accident near Riyadh, five members of two Indian families, including minors, lost their lives while on their way to perform Umrah in the early hours of Thursday.
The families of Ahmed Abdul Rasheed (27) and Mohammed Shahid Khatri (24), who were neighbours in the Suwaidi area of Riyadh, were travelling together in a vehicle when it was hit by another car from the opposite direction around 3:00 AM on Thursday, according to information provided by the deceased's relatives.
Ahmed Abdul Rasheed, a native of Hyderabad, was accompanied by his pregnant wife Khansa and three-year-old daughter Mariam, while Mohammed Shahid Khatri, a native of Sikar district in Rajasthan, was travelling with his wife Sumayya and their four-year-old son Ammar Ahmed, all on their way to Makkah to perform Umrah.
In the fatal accident, Ahmed Abdul Rasheed's wife Khansa and daughter Mariam were killed on the spot, and Ahmed Abdul Rasheed is currently battling for his life in a hospital, while the entire family of Shahid Khatri perished in the accident.
Shahid Khatri and his four-year-old son were killed on the spot, while his wife Sumayya succumbed to her injuries later in the evening at the hospital. The necessary legal formalities were completed by the family friends with no delay, and they expect to bury the dead on Friday in Riyadh.
This accident comes on the heels of another tragedy at the beginning of Ramadan, where 21 expatriates living in the Khamis Mushait area were killed in a bus accident on their way to perform Umrah.