MANILA, Philippines — Philippine authorities are providing emergency assistance to three Filipino nurses after a speeding vehicle struck them in a hit-and-run accident in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, leaving one dead and two others seriously injured, officials said Wednesday.
The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) confirmed that the incident occurred on Jan. 31 as the nurses were walking home from the Tabuk Park Mall. According to investigators, the victims were crossing a wide road in the Muruj Al Amir District when they were hit by a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed.
The impact left all three women unconscious. Emergency responders transported them to King Khalid Civilian Hospital for treatment. One nurse later died from her injuries, while the two survivors remain under medical care for major trauma.
Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac directed the Migrant Workers Office in Jeddah to deploy a four-person team to Tabuk to coordinate medical care and legal support. One of the injured survivors has since been transferred to a facility in Riyadh to undergo specialized surgery.
“Assistance is now being provided to facilitate the immediate repatriation of the remains of the overseas Filipino worker,” the DMW said in a statement, adding that the victims’ families have been notified.
Local authorities in Saudi Arabia confirmed that the driver of the vehicle has been arrested and is currently under investigation.
The Philippine government has seen a steady flow of healthcare professionals to Saudi Arabia for decades, and the DMW stated it remains committed to monitoring the recovery of the surviving nurses while assisting the family of the deceased with the necessary documentation for her return to the Philippines.
