A Saudi man, aggrieved by his brother’s death from COVID-19, passed away hours after him, a family member has said.

Saeed Al Madawi and his brother Mohammed had been closely attached since early childhood after their parents’ death.

“My father was strongly attached to his brother. Both were orphans and continued to live next to each other through life even when they moved for work,” Mefrah, the son of Mohammed, told Al Arabiya television.

On Thursday, Saeed, who had a heart problem, died from COVID-19 in a hospital in the Saudi south-western region of Assir.

“We didn’t break the news to my father until shortly before burial for fear of the impact of the shocking news on him. But overwhelmed by grief, my father died Friday morning. They were buried next to each other,” the son added.

“My father had not suffered from any disease. But after his brother’s burial, he bade farewell to him and returned home feeling devastated over his brother’s loss,” he recalled. “They set an example of fraternal attachment. They couldn’t live apart from each other for a single day.”

The story reverberated across social media where photos, showing the deceased brothers together on different occasions, went viral.