A senior Saudi prince, Mansour bin Muqrin, and seven other bureaucrats lost their lives in a helicopter crash near the country’s border with Yemen.
Muqrin, the deputy governor of Asir province was returning from an inspection tour when his aircraft tragically came down near Abha late on Sunday.
The unfortunate incident occurred just hours after a significant purge of the kingdom’s political and business leadership.
An anti-corruption body, led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, ordered the detention of numerous individuals, including 11 princes, four ministers, and several ex-ministers.
Analysts view the “unprecedented” move as an effort to consolidate the heir to the throne’s power.
Muqrin, the son of former Crown Prince Muqrin bin Abdulaziz, previously held the position of crown prince from January to April 2015.
However, he was replaced by Prince Mohammed’s father, King Salman, who is now 81 years old.
Mansour also served as a consultant in his father’s royal court and was among eight young royals appointed as deputy governors in April 2017.
Meanwhile, the Interior Ministry has not yet provided a cause for the crash.
