Saudi Gazette report

JAZAN — Saudi authorities have taken several measures to support a man who lost seven members of his family to a horrific car accident in Sabya governorate in the southwestern Jazan province last Tuesday.

Sami Al-Numi works as a security guard at a school in Sabya. His first wife and six children died when their car collided with a truck on Al-Kidami Road.

Initial investigations concluded that the accident was caused by the terrible condition of the asphalt of the road, which is heavily frequented by trucks.

Transport Minister Nabeel Al-Amoudi sacked the head of roads in Jazan Mohammad Al-Hazmi and ordered an investigation into the causes of the accident. The investigation would include several officials and contractors.

Minister of Education Ahmad Al-Essa personally telephoned Al-Numi to offer his condolences and deliver to him the good news that his second wife would be employed in the same school where he worked, so she would be able to support him through this difficult time.

Minister of Labor and Social Development Ali Al-Ghafis empathized with the family immediately and ordered the ministry to look into the case and offer the necessary services.

The ministry ordered a charity organization in Sabya governorate to give the family financial aid.

The eldest of Al-Numi’s children who died in the accident was Yahya, a 12th grader, while the youngest was Sara, a kindergarten girl. The other children, Mamdouh, Hajer, Reem and Osama respectively studied in ninth, sixth, fifth and first grades.

Al-Numi is now left with only one son, Muree.

Witnesses said the road was not properly maintained despite major damages in some places caused by trucks carrying rocks from nearby mountains.

A few hours after the tragic accident, the Transport Ministry tasked contractors with fixing the road and filling its potholes.

The witnesses quoted by the local media said the ministry should have done the repair work months ago.

“Why should they wait for a tragedy to happen before leaping into action? It is easy to fix roads, but who can fix the situation of the poor father who lost seven members of his family in a tragic accident that could have been avoided,” said one witness, who did not want to be named.

Some residents of the area reported they had contacted Al-Hazmi, director of roads in Jazan, two months earlier to ask him to look into the poor state of the road.

Mohammad Al-Najie said the villagers in the region suffered greatly due to the cracks and crevices on Al-Kidami Road.

“We have had a number of fatal road accidents due to the poorly built road. This accident was not the first. We have complained many times to the authorities and they promised to fix the problem but they never did,” said Al-Najie.