According to Saudi Railway Organization (SRO) the workers who belonged to Archirodon Construction (Overseas) Co were re-laying part of a railroad when the accident took place.[break]
Quoting Bishnu Budha Kshetri, a worker with the same company, Khadak Dahal, first secretary at the embassy told Republica over phone that those killed in the accident have been identified as Lal Babu Baitha, Pradip Mukhiya and Sanjay Gangain.
However, the address of the deceased workers hasn´t been established yet. “Most possibly they are from Siraha or Satptari districts according to their fellow workers,” said Dahal.
Other two migrant workers killed in the accident are Indian and Bangladeshi nationals. Nain Singh Khadka of Banke district has been seriously injured in the incident.
As per the preliminary information, Dynamic Manpower and Sky Overseas agencies had sent them to Saudi Arabia. However, name of the sending agencies haven´t been confirmed as the proprietors of the agencies couldn´t be reached for further verification.
A passenger train was heading for Hofuf from Riyadh, according to Saudi news portal Arabnews.com. Khadka who sustained multiple injuries has been admitted to a nearby hospital.
Two rail cars carrying white stones rolled down, hitting the workers and killing five of them instantly.
Railway officials said the accident occurred while the driver was shunting the train at a location called Kilo 407, about 25 km east of Riyadh. However, the exact cause of the accident hasn´t been ascertained.
Saudi Arabia, home to over 500, 000 Nepalis -- most of them blue-collar workers -- has been undergoing a massive railway expansion program in recent years. Road accident is one of the major causes of death of Nepali workers in the Gulf countries.
A total of 63,700 Nepali workers had left for the desert kingdom during the fiscal year 2009/10, up from 48,434 a year earlier.
SRO officials have ordered a thorough probe into the accident that has brought the rail service between Riyadh and Hofuf to a standstill.
Name of deceased workers
Lal Babu Baitha
Pradip Mukhiya
Sanjay Gangain
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