RIYADH - Eight people, including five Malaysian pilgrims, were killed when the minibus carrying them collided head-on with a saloon car outside the Muslim holy city of Mecca, a newspaper reported Sunday.

Nine other Malaysians were critically wounded in the accident which took place at dawn Saturday when the group was visiting Mount Arafat, just outside Mecca, Okaz daily said.

High accident rate

The others killed in the accident included Saudi minibus driver Mohammed al-Harbi, his Indonesian assistant and the driver of the saloon car whose nationality was not given.

Saudi Arabia has one of the world's highest rates of traffic accidents, according to the transport ministry. Road deaths have exceeded 35,000 over the past decade, with more than 200,000 injured. - AFP