Dozens of Indian pilgrims are feared to have lost their lives following a collision between a bus and a diesel tanker near the sacred city of Medina in Saudi Arabia on Monday, as reported by Indian officials.
The bus, carrying 46 individuals, was en route from Mecca to Medina when the tragic incident occurred on a highway, stated Gaurav Uppal, a senior official from Telangana state. Uppal, based in New Delhi, is actively involved in coordinating the rescue operations with Indian authorities in Saudi Arabia.
According to Uppal, approximately 45 individuals from Telangana are believed to have perished in the accident, with one person sustaining injuries. Concerned relatives of the victims congregated outside the premises of the Fly Zone travel agency in Hyderabad, the capital of Telangana, seeking updates about their loved ones.
Mohammed Tehseen revealed that seven members of his family were onboard the bus, and sadly, all but one have passed away. The lone survivor communicated about the tragedy to their family after the accident.
Requests for comments from Saudi officials have not been immediately answered.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar, and Telangana’s top-elected official, Revanth Reddy, extended their condolences to the grieving families. Jaishankar mentioned in a post that the Indian Embassy in Riyadh and the consulate in Jeddah were extending support to the victims’ relatives.
Based on preliminary reports, Vishwanath Channappa Sajjanar, the police chief of Hyderabad, disclosed that around 18 of the deceased pilgrims were from the city. He highlighted that the majority of the victims belonged to two families, identifying the injured passenger as Mohammed Shoaib.
Sajjanar confirmed during a press briefing that out of the 46 individuals onboard the bus, one passenger survived with injuries. The police are in communication with the travel agency responsible for the pilgrims’ journey to Saudi Arabia.