35 pilgrims killed in bus crash near Saudi holy city of Mecca

No cause immediately provided for incident involving chartered vehicle carrying Asian and Arab nationals

Muslim pilgrims touch the golden door of the Kaaba, the cubic building at the Grand Mosque, during the hajj pilgrimage in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, August 13, 2019. (Amr Nabil/AP)
Muslim pilgrims touch the golden door of the Kaaba, the cubic building at the Grand Mosque, during the hajj pilgrimage in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, August 13, 2019. (Amr Nabil/AP)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Authorities in Saudi Arabia said 35 pilgrims have been killed in a bus crash near the Muslim holy city of Mecca.

The state-run Saudi Press Agency reported Thursday that four others were injured in the crash.

The agency, quoting police in Saudi Arabia’s Medina province, said the crash happened around 7 p.m. Wednesday on the road linking Mecca to the city of Medina.

It said the chartered bus carried Asian and Arab nationals, without elaborating.

Police were investigating the incident. Authorities gave no immediate cause for the crash.

Every able-bodied Muslim is required to perform the hajj, or Islam’s religious pilgrimage, to Mecca, home of cube-shaped Kaaba that Muslims pray to five times a day. Pilgrims also come during other times of the year as well.

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