A female Hajj pilgrim was killed and 17 others were injured as a bus carrying Bangladeshi Hajj pilgrims was involved in a tragic road accident in Saudi Arabia last night.

The accident took place at Wadi al-Fara area around 11:25pm (local time) on Friday night when the bus was on the way to Medinah from Makkah carrying 35 Bangladeshi Hajj pilgrims, Maqsudur Rahman, councilor (Hajj) of Bangladesh Hajj Mission in Saudi Arabia, told The Daily Star.

A wheel of the bus got loose which led to the accident, leaving the woman dead on the spot while 17 other pilgrims sustained injuries, the official said.

Among the injured, seven have been admitted to King Fahad Hospital in Medinah in critical condition while the rest were admitted to four other hospitals, he added.

The identities of the victims could not be known immediately.