Additional Coverage:
MEDINA, Saudi Arabia – A tragic accident near the holy city of Medina has left dozens of Indian pilgrims feared dead after their bus collided with a diesel tanker on Monday.
The bus, carrying 46 individuals, was en route from Mecca to Medina when the incident occurred on a highway. Gaurav Uppal, a senior official from India’s Telangana state, stated that approximately 45 people from Telangana are feared to have died in the accident, with one person sustaining injuries. Uppal, based in New Delhi, is coordinating rescue efforts with Indian authorities in Saudi Arabia.
In Hyderabad, India, distraught relatives of the victims gathered outside the Fly Zone travel agency’s office, desperately seeking information about their loved ones. Saudi officials have not yet released a statement regarding the incident.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar, and Telangana’s highest-elected official, Revanth Reddy, extended their condolences to the grieving families. Foreign Minister Jaishankar announced that the Indian embassy in Riyadh and the consulate in Jeddah are providing support to the victims’ relatives.
Mohammed Tehseen shared the devastating news that seven members of his family were on the bus, with all but one perishing in the crash. The sole survivor from his family called to inform them of the tragedy.
Vishwanath Channappa Sajjanar, the police chief of Hyderabad, Telangana’s capital, indicated that preliminary reports suggest at least 18 of the deceased were from Hyderabad, primarily from two families. The injured passenger has been identified as Mohammed Shoaib.
“I spoke to the Consul General of India and got the details,” Sajjanar confirmed at a press conference. “There were 46 people in the bus and one passenger survived with injuries.” He added that authorities are in contact with the travel agency that arranged the pilgrimage.