42 Indian pilgrims feared dead in bus-tanker collision near Madinah in Saudi Arabia

AT to the lowest degree 42 people were charred to demise after a jalopy carrying Umrah pilgrims collided with a rudolf christian karl diesel tank driver near Madinah, according to local media in Saudi Arabia on Monday. The victims are believed to be Indian nationals, with several reportedly from Hyderabad.Preliminary inputs indicate that at least 16 of those killed in the Saudi bus mishap were Hyderabad residents, Telangana information technology minister D Sridhar Babu said. He added that they were all reportedly from the Bazarghat area of Mallepalli, and officials are still verifying the identities of the deceased.According to initial reports received by the state government, the accident took place around 1.30 am IST in Mufrihat, roughly 160 km from Madinah. The bus was carrying 43 passengers, and only one person is believed to have survived. Follow Mecca Madinah accident LIVE UpdatesThe group had left Hyderabad on November 9 and was returning to Madinah after offering Umrah prayers in Mecca when the tragedy struck, a relative of the victims said. They had travelled through Al Meena and Al Mecca Travels, Nampally.External affairs minister S Jaishankar said he was “deeply shocked” by the accident involving Indian nationals in Madinah, adding that the Indian Embassy in Riyadh and the Consulate in Jeddah were extending the “fullest support” to those affected and their families. He offered his “sincere condolences to the bereaved families” and said he prayed for the “speedy recovery of those injured.”The Indian Embassy in Jeddah announced a helpline number for families of those affected by the accident. In a post on X, the mission said, “In view of a tragic bus accident near Madina, Saudi Arabia, involving Indian Umrah pilgrims, a 24x7 Control Room has been set up in Consulate General of India, Jeddah. The contact details of the Helpline are as under: Toll free number- 8002440003.”Telangana govt coordinates with Embassy, sets up control roomThe Telangana government said it is in contact with the Indian Embassy in Riyadh. Officials have been instructed to coordinate with the External Affairs Ministry and the Saudi Embassy for urgent relief measures.Expressing deep shock over the “horrific accident involving a bus carrying Indian pilgrims in Saudi Arabia”, chief minister Revanth Reddy directed chief secretary K Ramakrishna Rao and DGP Shivadhar Reddy to immediately gather details of the victims and ascertain how many people from Telangana were on board.Meanwhile, the chief secretary alerted Resident Commissioner Gaurav Uppal in Delhi and asked him to collect the details of Telangana residents involved. A control room has also been set up at the State Secretariat to assist families and consolidate information.Hyderabad MP calls for immediate actionAIMIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday sought immediate action from the Centre following the fatal accident.Owaisi said he had spoken to Abu Mathen George, deputy chief of Mission at the Indian Embassy in Riyadh, who “assured me that they are gathering information about the matter.” He added that he had also contacted two Hyderabad-based travel agencies and shared the passengers’ details with the Riyadh Embassy and the Foreign Secretary.Urging the Centre to intervene, Owaisi said, “I request the Union Government, especially EAM Dr S Jaishankar, to bring the bodies back to India and, if anyone is injured, ensure that they receive proper medical treatment.”