45 Indian Umrah pilgrims killed in Saudi Arabia bus accident
Forty-five Indian Umrah pilgrims were killed after their bus caught fire following an accident near Medina in Saudi Arabia
NEW DELHI (AA/MNTV) — Forty-five Indian Umrah pilgrims were killed after their bus caught fire following an accident near Medina in Saudi Arabia, officials confirmed on Monday. Most of the victims were from Hyderabad in southern Telangana state.
The bus, carrying 46 passengers, was travelling from Makkah to Medina when it collided with an oil tanker and burst into flames, according to Hyderabad Police Commissioner V.C. Sajjanar.
“Forty-five people have died, and there is only one survivor who is currently in the hospital,” he said at a news conference.
The lone survivor has been admitted to an intensive care unit in a local hospital.
Telangana authorities said the group had travelled to Saudi Arabia on 9 November for the Umrah pilgrimage.
Of the 54 people who flew from Hyderabad to Jeddah, four stayed back in Makkah and another four went to Medina by car, while the remaining 46 boarded the ill-fated bus.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “deeply saddened” by the tragedy in a post on the US social media platform X.
“My thoughts are with the families who have lost their loved ones. I pray for the swift recovery of all those injured,” he wrote, adding that the Indian Embassy in Riyadh and the consulate in Jeddah were providing all possible assistance and were in close contact with Saudi authorities.
Control rooms have been set up in Jeddah and Hyderabad to help families affected by the tragedy.
Asaduddin Owaisi, the member of parliament representing Hyderabad, told ANI that he had requested federal assistance to bring the victims’ bodies back to India.
As news of the accident spread, distraught families in Hyderabad spoke to local media. Mohammed Tehseen said seven of his relatives were on the bus.
He learned of the tragedy after receiving a call from his relative Shoaib, the only survivor, who contacted him from the hospital.
Authorities in both countries are coordinating efforts to identify the victims and support their families as investigations into the cause of the crash continue.
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