A Birmingham couple were killed when a fire ripped through their bus in Saudi Arabia as they took part in a pilgrimage to Mecca.

The couple have been named locally as Aboo Talhah Daawood and his wife.  

They had seven children and are believed to be members of the Small Heath Mosque.

The couple were on board one of the three coaches which left the mosque on Monday afternoon to make the journey to Mecca.

They were killed when a fire broke out on the bus carrying them and scores other worshippers from Jeddah Airport to the holy shrine.

The Foreign Office said other people on the coach were also injured, but none seriously.

Tributes have been paid to Mr Daawood, who is also known as Dawud Burbank.

He is believed to live in Newtown and used to work as a translator and teacher on a charitable basis at the Salafi Mosque and Islamic Centre, on Wright Street, in Small Heath.

A representative from Salafi Publications, a bookstore which is affiliated with the Mosque, said Mr Daawood was a father-of-seven, in his late 40s, and had translated more than 60 books from Arabic into English.

The representative said the couple had caught their flight on Monday evening and arrived in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday morning.

They were travelling on a coach on their way from the Hajj Terminal to Mecca when tragedy struck.

The mosque has been providing support to the deceased’s family.