Saudi Gazette report

JAZAN — The people of Jazan have been outraged by a second grisly accident in the region in as many weeks, which is also blamed on inadequate infrastructure development and negligence by the authorities.

Seven women from a single family were killed and four others including, two children, injured when the car they were traveling in rammed into the rear of a truck on Madaya-Sawarma Road Thursday night.

Less than two weeks ago a citizen lost six members of his family in a road accident on Sabya-Huroob Road, also in Jazan.

The victims of Thursday's accident were reportedly heading to attend a wedding. In addition to two children, the injured included another woman and an elderly man.

The driver of the family car did not see the truck in front of them as it was pitch dark and the truck did not have its taillights on.

A 15-km stretch of the road where the accident took place had no streetlights.

The family was on their way to a wedding but their night ended in devastation.

The people of Al-Madaya previously demanded the pertinent authorities implement better safety measures on this particular road. Accidents caused by stray camels are also common on the road.

Jazan Red Crescent spokesman Bishi Al-Sarkhy said the Red Crescent received reports of the accident at 8:20 p.m. on Thursday. He said four emergency teams were immediately deployed in response. When the paramedics arrived to the scene they found six of the victims dead and five others injured.

They were all transported to Uhud Al-Masariha General Hospital. All of the injured were in a critical condition and one woman succumbed to her injuries in the hospital.

The people of Jazan blamed the accident on the Jazan Traffic Department for their negligence. The road has not only been a high-risk one for years but it has also been one of the highly used roads in the region because it connects four villages and a city.

The Traffic Department published statistics on road accidents in various provinces of the Kingdom in the first quarter of the current Hijri year this week.

According to the report, Jazan has the highest rate of road accidents followed by Tabuk and Baha. However, the rate of accidents in Jazan decreased in comparison to the same period last year by 6.07 percent, the report said.