Saudi comedian, writer and actor Mohammad bin Rafea tragically passed away in a car accident that took place in Hail governorate late on Sunday.

The young man's death was confirmed by his brother, Abdul Khaliq bin Rafea, in a heartbreaking tweet uploaded to Twitter.

According to Sada news site, no further details on the accident were released.

News of Al Rafea's untimely death left thousands of his fans and followers in mourning and has since gone viral on social media.

The tragic news left Saudis in shock

Especially because Al Rafea was posting on Snapchat just hours before his death

"Shocking news! Just a few hours ago, he was filming snap videos and nothing was wrong. Now we hear news of his death... a bizarre feeling. This proves life's uncertainty, it can end with the blink of an eye." 

His last Snapchat post was shared by many

"His last Snapchat post. May God have mercy on his soul." 

Friends mourned the loss of a talented young man

"I tried to save you, every way I could, but God's will was faster and now you're with him. You kind hearted human being... your sorrows died, your hardships died, and you now outlive them in God's heavens." 

"We were thinking of how we'll get through an act while he was traveling, now we have to think of a life without Mohammad"

"This is the last thing Mohammad wrote in our group chat yesterday. I swear I'll never forget your soul and beautiful smile. May God have mercy on your soul." 

Everyone paid tribute to Al Rafea

"We belong to God and to him we return. May God have mercy on Mohammad bin Rafea, a young man who planted happiness in everyone around him."

"You made us laugh while you were alive and made us cry with your death"

RIP

Traffic accidents continue to be a major cause of death in the kingdom

Car accidents are considered one of the major causes of death in Saudi Arabia and heartbreaking news of crashes often go viral online in the country.

According to statistics published in the past few years, a car accident happens every minute on average in the kingdom. This adds up to more than 460,000 crashes per year.

In 2017 alone, the country recorded over 7,000 deaths related to car accidents. In 2016, 9,000 car accident fatalities - a number that translates to 12 percent of the total deaths - were recorded.

However, overall, things are getting better due to the implementation of the kingdom's electronic traffic management system, Saher.

"The introduction of Saher system has reduced the severity of traffic accident injuries by 20 percent and mortality rate by 37.8 percent,” Sulaiman Al-Ghannam, a principal investigator, told Arab News.

This year, the system continued to contribute to lowering the rate of road accidents. While still remarkably high, the rate of crashes and related deaths appears slightly lower than it was in 2016.