Dozens of Indian pilgrims are feared to have perished in a tragic incident when a bus collided with a diesel tanker near the holy city of Medina in Saudi Arabia, according to Indian officials. The bus, carrying 46 passengers, was en route from Mecca to Medina when the accident occurred on a highway, as stated by Gaurav Uppal, a senior official from Telangana state. Uppal mentioned that approximately 45 individuals from Telangana are believed to have lost their lives in the accident, with one person sustaining injuries.
Relatives of the victims gathered outside the office of the Fly Zone travel agency in Hyderabad, the state capital of Telangana, seeking information about their loved ones. Mohammed Tehseen shared that seven of his family members were on the bus, with all but one tragically losing their lives. The lone survivor contacted them post-accident to convey the heartbreaking news.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar, and Telangana’s senior elected official, Revanth Reddy, extended their condolences to the grieving families. Jaishankar mentioned in a social media post that the Indian Embassy in Riyadh and the consulate in Jeddah were providing assistance to the victims’ relatives. Hyderabad’s police chief, Vishwanath Channappa Sajjanar, revealed that initial reports indicated that about 18 of the deceased were from Hyderabad, with most belonging to two families. The injured passenger was identified as Mohammed Shoaib.
Sajjanar stated during a press conference that he had liaised with the Consul General of India to gather information, revealing that out of the 46 passengers on the bus, one survived with injuries. The police authorities were in communication with the travel agency responsible for organizing the pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.