High-speed train kills person near Mecca

Cairo: A high-speed train in Saudi Arabia hit and killed a person who was on the rail track, the operating company said.

The incident occurred on Saturday about four kilometres from the Mecca station of the Haramain train that links the holy city to Medina, the Saudi-panish Train Projects Company (SSTPC) added.

“The company stresses to everyone the importance of staying away from the railway boundaries and the danger of approaching it to ensure safety of everyone and to prevent the recurrence of such accidents in the future,” SSTPC added in a statement.

The company also apologised to customers for the delay in some trips because of the accident. Journeys on the service later resumed as scheduled.

The 450-km-long service was inaugurated in 2018. The Mecca-Medina journey on Al Haramain train running through the port city of Jeddah takes two hours.

The service aims to transport about 60 million passengers annually.