A British couple have been killed in Saudi Arabia after the bus they were riding in exploded, only minutes after they had left the Jeddah Airport, sources in the Gulf Kingdom said. British website Metro reported Dawud Burbank and his wife, who has not been identified, were caught in their bus when it overheated, caught fire and exploded. The same website reported that all 29 pilgrims taking part in the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia were from the Salafi Mosque in Birmingham. Abu Khadeeja, from the Salafi Institute, said Burbank was “one of the most respected Arabic to English language translators in the entire West. “He was a brilliant man, very respected. People knew him in Canada and the USA and he had several books to his name. A lot of people will be very sad but we will pull together to get through this.” It is not the first deaths on this year's Hajj travel season. At least 19 Indians and 9 Egyptians have died while on the annual Islamic pilgrimage, although Saudi officials have not given specifics as to how they perished. Millions of Muslims the world over make the annual trip to the Saudi kingdom, but with increasing numbers, security and safety have been questioned. BM
