A devastating accident in Saudi Arabia in the wee hours of Monday has left 45 people from Hyderabad feared dead after a bus ferrying them from Mecca to Medina crashed into an oil tanker coming from opposite direction and gutted in fire due to the massive impact. As the incident happened at midnight, there is hardly any chance for passengers to escape unscathed from the inferno. All passengers on board were on a religious tour as per reports.
Out of the 46 passengers in the ill-fated bus, only one passenger made a lucky escape with injuries while all 45 others were killed on spot due to the heavy collision. It is learnt that a group of 54 people travelled from Hyderabad to Jeddah on November 9th on a pilgrimage. Four of them travelled to Medina by car on Sunday and four others stayed back in Mecca.
The lone survivor was identified as Mohammad Abdul Shoaib who was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment. The bodies of the 45 deceased were moved to a local hospital and Shoaib is receiving treatment in the ICU of the Saudi German Hospital, as stated by Hyderabad police commissioner VC Sajjanar.
As soon as the tragic news came out, political leaders across the country conveyed condolences to the families of victims. Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy expressed deep shock over the hapless incident. A control room was immediately set up on his instructions at the Telangana Bhavan in New Delhi. He said that the government is in contact with the Indian Embassy in Riyadh for further information.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to X and wrote Deeply saddened by the accident in Medinah involving Indian nationals. My thoughts are with the families who have lost their loved ones. I pray for the swift recovery of all those injured. Our Embassy in Riyadh and Consulate in Jeddah are providing all possible assistance. Our officials are also in close contact with Saudi Arabian authorities”.
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