14 Killed in road crash in Saudi Arabia

Fourteen people, including 12 women students of Hail University, were killed in a traffic accident on the Maraifeq-Qafar Road in Hail, northwestern Saudi Arabia, yesterday. "The accident occurred when the minibus carrying 13 students and a Land Cruiser driven by a Saudi in his 30s crashed head on. The drivers of both the vehicles died on the spot," spokesman for the Hail police Col. Abdul Aziz Al-Zenaidi told the Saudi daily (Arab News). Two critically injured students were admitted to King Khaled Hospital in Hail, the spokesman added. But one student later died in hospital, raising the death toll to 14. One of the women who died in the tragedy was pregnant, the spokesman added. The students were traveling to the university from the village of Hulaifah, 200 km south of Hail city. Hail Govovernor Prince Saud bin Abdul Mohsen, who set up a committee to investigate the circumstances that led to the accident, vowed to take stringent action if the accident was the result of any official negligence and stressed the need for total solution to transport problems, including conveyance of women students and teachers, speeding and road conditions.