Brave girl loses life to save brothers from car falling off mountain

RIYADH: A 21-year-old woman, Rima Manna Rashid, lost her life trying to rescue her siblings during a tragic car accident in the Asir region of Saudi Arabia.

According to local media, Rima succeeded in saving her brothers, but she lost her life after the vehicle carrying her family members fell from Haswa Mountains and settled in a slope down the mountain.

Rima and her family had gone to spend the summer vacation in the village of Haswa, in the province of Rijal Almaa. On the way to Haswa, the family’s car broke down at the top of a mountain.

The girl’s father and elder brother, Rashid, left the car to identify the cause of the malfunction, and within a few moments, the car began to slide down the mountainside.

Rima bravely attempted to rescue her siblings, starting with 12-year-old Linda and then Ahmed, who is currently hospitalised due to injuries sustained during the incident. However, the 21-year-old girl was not able to save herself.

The car fell more than 400 meters down the mountainside, flipping over thrice. While Ahmed managed to survive the fall, Rima succumbed to a head injury. She was later buried in her father’s Karama Cemetery.

In a statement, her father said she could have easily escaped, being closest to the car door, but chose to prioritise the safety of her siblings over her own.

“She sacrificed herself for us. My heroine was not like the girls of her time. She always put her brothers before herself, even when it came to her university rewards,” said Rima’s grieving father.

A family relative Yahya Al Jarai also shared his account of the tragic event. “Rima, known for her love for her family and her sacrifice for them, played the role of a mother to her siblings. She defended them until her last breath.”

Rima was on the brink of starting a new job at King Khalid International Airport after the end of the summer vacation. However, a devastating incident curtailed her prospects.