At least eight people from two families were killed after their cars collided head-on in western Saudi Arabia, Saudi media reported on Tuesday, citing medical and civil defence officials.

The crash took place Monday afternoon in the governorate of Al Makhwah in the western region of Baha, leaving also two seriously injured persons, the daily newspaper Al Riyadh said.

The dead included four women, three men and one child, spokesman for Baha civil defence service Jaman Al Ghamdi said.

One of the two injured persons later died in hospital, online newspaper Sabq reported, citing an unnamed source.

Online images showed the two cars reduced to metal wreckage after the collision.

The cause of the accident was not officially given. But some media reports blamed it on high speed.

Road crashes resulted in 10,961 deaths in Saudi Arabia in 2017, according to official figures. The tragedies were mainly attributed to reckless driving. Traffic accidents in the kingdom have dropped by 33 per cent in recent years, a report by the governmental Traffic Safety Committee said.

The decline is due to stricter enforcement of road regulations and expanded use of relevant advanced technology.

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