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Illustrative image. Image Credit: Pexels

Cairo: Two people were killed and 21 injured after their bus flipped over on a road in western Saudi Arabia, local media reported.

The bus was carrying 23 Arab nationals Friday when it turned over in the Turubah governorate near Al Taif. The accident left 21 people injured including seven seriously wounded, Saudi news portal Sabq reported, citing a health statement.

The 14 others had sustained medium to minor injuries. They were taken to several local hospitals. One case was transported by air to a hospital in Taif.

Other hospitals in the region were put on the standby to handle any emergencies in the aftermath.

Health authorities in Taif also dispatched seven ambulance teams to the crash site, the report said.

The cause of the mishap was not immediately clear.

In recent years, Saudi authorities have toughened penalties against traffic infringements to reduce road accidents.

In January, a Saudi cleric, his wife and their five children had been killed in a road crash on a highway near the coastal city of Al Qunfudah.

The tragedy occurred when a speeding truck collided with a car carrying the seven on a highway near the coastal city of Al Qunfudah, killing them all.

Sheikh Ahmed Al Basissy, an imam of a local mosque in Al Qundudah, and his family were returning from performing the holy city of Makkah after performing Umrah or lesser pilgrimage there when the truck collided into their car, according to Saudi media.