THE driver of a minibus which crashed in Saudi Arabia claiming the lives of six people including a couple from Glasgow may have been asleep at the wheel, according to a survivor.

Family of Mohammad Aslam, 73, and wife Talat, 63, who died in the crash along with a newborn and his grandmother, gathered in Newlands to mourn their passing and talked of their grief over what happened.

The Aslams were making a Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca when the bus crashed, turning over several times before coming to rest.

Read more: Glasgow couple die in minibus crash in Saudi Arabia

It has emerged that one survivor has made contact with the Aslams' family to say they believed the driver may have been asleep and an investigation is expected.

Asian Image:

Talat Aslam

The Aslams who have three sons and two daughters, had spoken to their children just a few hours before the accident.

Four members of one family from Manchester were killed in the accident along with the Aslams. It is believed six others from Manchester were seriously injured.

The group had completed the Umrah pilgrimage to Mecca, a lesser version of the Hajj, and were driving towards Medina when their minibus crashed on Wednesday.

Read more: Glasgow couple die in minibus crash in Saudi Arabia

An employee of Haji Tours, the Manchester-based company which organised the trip, said the accident happened after one the minibus’s tires burst on the motorway.

Family and friends of the Aslams who gathered at their home in Newlands said that it was their first ever Umrah - a pilgrimage to Mecca performed by Muslims that can be undertaken at any time of the year, in contrast to the Hajj.

Asian Image:

The crash scene

They were a week into the two week trip when the minibus crashed on the way to visit Al-Masjid an-Nabawī, also known as the Prophet’s Mosque established and originally built by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in Medina.

The Aslams' three sons Omar, Osman and Haroon and daughter Shehla are preparing to fly to Medina to prepare to bury their mother and father at Jannat al-Baqi, a cemetery in Medina south-east of the Masjid al-Nabawi. 

Read more: Glasgow couple die in minibus crash in Saudi Arabia

Daughter Saba who has remained in Glasgow said: "We are so so distraught. The bodies are going to get buried there so everyone is headed there."

Daughter-in-law Shumaila Jeved said: "Everyone is very upset. They felt it was time to make that pilgramage and then this happens.

Asian Image:

Mohammad and Talat Aslam

"We think the driver was asleep. One of the survivors, she told us that."

She said pictures of the couple were sent to them for identification purposes.

"The bodies were crushed," she said. One survivor said the bus had turned over many times.

They had initial contact from Saudi Arabia at midnight to infrm them the Aslams had been involved in an accident in the road.

"We didn't even know if they were alive or not. We kept calling them and calling them but their phone was switched off. We tried contacting the hospital but eventually one of our relatives out there found out what happened."

Showing a picture of Talat after the accident, she added: "That's our mum. I have to switch it off. It came from Saudi Arabia so you can recognise that it's your family.

"It was for identification. It took time to identify the bodies so they sent us the pictures."

Asian Image:

Talat Aslam

Another relative Ali Gibran said: "This has put a dagger through my heart and I am still shell-shocked from the second I came to know of this horrendous news.

"My aunt was the heart of our family. So enthusiastic and a source for radiation of joy and happiness. A true gem embedded into our family. Her words sparkled in every gathering in which she took part. To lose her is one of the most agonising feelings in my life."

Shabbar Jaffri, a Glasgow city councillor who knew the couple said: “The children are absolutely in shock. They spoke to their parents a few hours before the accident and it hasn’t really sunk in. To lose one parent is bad enough but to lose both at the same time is very hard to imagine.”

The Manchester victims were named locally as Khursheed Ahmed, his wife, Noshina and their two-month-old grandson Adam Anis and Mrs Ahmed's sister Rabia.

A Haji Tours spokesman said: "We are sharing our sorrow with the family affected. We hope God forgives them and gives them the best place possible in paradise.

We share our grief with them and give them courage at this terrible time."

Glasgow Central Mosque released a statement saying it had “every confidence” that Saudi authorities would investigate the crash and treat the dead with “due dignity and decorum”.

Asian Image: Exterior of the Glasgow Central Mosque Photo: Stewart Attwood

“Mr Mohammad Aslam and Mrs Talat Aslam were popular members of the community,” the mosque said.

“We pray Allah the Almighty grants the deceased a high rank in Paradise and gives their loved ones strength and patience at this difficult time.”

According to the Koran, the Prophet Muhammad was born in Mecca but migrated to Medina in 622, after learning of a plot to kill him and his followers, the world's first Muslims. He died in Medina and his tomb is in the city, making it the second holiest in Islam.

Umrah is a pilgrimage to Mecca by Muslims made at any time of the year, differing from the annual Hajj which takes place in the month of Dhul Hijjah, the 12th month of the Islamic lunar calendar.

Asian Image: More than 700 killed in Hajj pilgrimage stampede in Saudi Arabia

The Hajj is seen as a mandatory religious duty that must be carried out at least once by adult Muslims who are physically and financially capable of undertaking the journey.

Last year it was held in September with more than one million Muslims travelling to Saudi Arabia.