British Muslims Express Deepest Sorrow and Sadness over the Tragic Death of Umrah Pilgrims in Saudi Arabia

The Association of British Hujjaj (pilgrims) UK (ABH) - a national Hajj and Umrah specific welfare organisation expresses their deepest sorrow and sadness at the tragic death of Umrah pilgrims who were travelling between Madinah and Makkah, when their bus crashedin to another vehicle and 35 pilgrims burnt to death in this horrific road accident.

“We are all shocked and extremely saddened by this tragedy and on behalf of the British Muslim community, we would like to send our condolences and deepest sympathies to the families, relatives and friends of the deceased pilgrims. It is highly regrettable that a substantial number of innocent pilgrims are losing their lives in such terrible circumstances which can be prevented” said Khalid Pervez, General Secretary of the Association of British Hujjaj (Pilgrims) UK”

The journey of over 300 km between Madinah to Makkah takes more than 5 hours. The long distance driving in hot weather and lack of sleep and rest of the drivers can be lethal. These are considered as contributing factors of the tragic road accidents in the recent years in which asubstantial number of pilgrims have lost their lives.

Association of British Hujjaj (Pilgrims) UK strongly urges the relevant authorities in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to take appropriate measures to prevent the loss of innocent pilgrims’ lives. Every effort should be made to make this journey safer for pilgrims by addressing the real cause of these tragic road accidents.