Saudi Arabia, Nov 17: A bus carrying Indian Umrah pilgrims from Mecca to Medina collided with a diesel tanker, killing around 45 Indian pilgrims.
The pilgrims were being transported from Mecca to Medina this morning. Around 20 women and 11 children were on the bus at the time of the accident.
The bus hit the diesel tanker and caught fire. As a result, 45 Indian Umrah pilgrims on the bus were burnt alive.
According to initial reports, the incident took place at a place identified as Mufrihat at around 1.30 am Indian time.
Emergency operations are underway at the site, with the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah and the travel agency confirming the accident, a news agency reported.
While local sources have reported 45 deaths, authorities are still verifying the exact number of casualties and the condition of the survivors.
Only one youth survived the incident, identified as 25-year-old Abdul Shuhaib Mohammad. It is said that the accident occurred because all the pilgrims were asleep at the time of the incident.
The agencies that arranged Umrah visas and travel arrangements for the pilgrims are in constant touch with the officials of the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah to complete all the further procedures.
Asaduddin Owaisi expressed his deepest condolences to the families of those who died in the incident.
I have contacted two Hyderabad-based travel agencies and shared the details of the passengers with the Riyadh embassy. I have spoken to Abu Mathen George, an officer at the Indian Embassy in Riyadh. He said he was gathering information from local authorities.
He said the Union government would request External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to bring the bodies back to India and ensure that the injured get proper medical treatment.
Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju responded by saying that the death of Indian pilgrims in a bus accident on the Medina-Mecca highway in Saudi Arabia is shocking and deeply saddening. My condolences to the bereaved families.