Seven Saudi schoolgirls were burned to death after their car was crushed by a runaway truck in the southern province of Assir, newspapers reported Tuesday.
The bodies of five girls were charred, two more died on the road to hospital while an eighth was in critical condition in the hospital, Okaz daily reported.
In addition, the car driver was killed and the truck's driver, a Nepalese, and his assistant from Turkey, were badly wounded.
The girls were on their way to school in Rijal Almaa, around 1,000 kilometers southwest of Riyadh, on Monday when the out-of-control truck ran over their car.
Saudi Arabia has one of the world's highest rates of road accidents, according to the transport ministry, AFP said.
Official reports indicate that over 35,000 people died and over 200, 000 were injured in traffic accidents in the Saudi kingdom during the past decade. (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
