Several Indian Umrah pilgrims have been killed in a horrific bus accident that took place late Sunday night in Medina, Saudi Arabia. Most of them were from Telangana.
Officials said that around 40 Indians were traveling in the bus. The bus reportedly collided with an oil tanker at around 1.30 am (Indian time). Most of the passengers appear to be Indians and it is said that the bus was going from Mecca to Medina.
The Indian mission in Jeddah has sent officials to the crash site to assess the situation.
“At this time we cannot give any information about the number of casualties as the process of identifying the dead is underway,” officials said.
Hyderabad Police Commissioner V.C. Citing preliminary information, Sajjanar put the death toll at 45 and said that on November 9, a total of 54 people had gone to Jeddah for Umrah.
The Indian mission in Jeddah said it has set up a control room to coordinate assistance.
In their posts on social media, both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar have expressed condolences to the families of the deceased.
Modi said in a post on social media platform ‘X’, “I am deeply saddened by the accident that happened to Indian citizens in Madina. My condolences are with the families who have lost their loved ones. I pray for the speedy recovery of all the injured.
“The Indian Embassy in Riyadh and Consulate in Jeddah are providing all possible assistance and officials are also in close touch with Saudi Arabian authorities,” he said.
Jaishankar is currently on a visit to Russia. The Foreign Minister has expressed deep sorrow over the accident.
“Our Embassy in Riyadh and Consulate in Jeddah are providing full assistance to Indian nationals and their families affected by this accident,” he said.
He said, “My deepest condolences to the bereaved families. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured.
Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy also expressed grief over the accident.
The Chief Minister’s office said Reddy received preliminary information that the accident occurred while pilgrims were traveling from Mecca to Medina and residents of Hyderabad were also involved. On the basis of this information, he directed the Chief Secretary and Director General of Police to get complete information.
Reddy’s office said he has directed officials to contact the Ministry of External Affairs and the Saudi Embassy regarding the incident and immediately take necessary relief measures.
The Chief Minister’s office said on social media platform ‘X’, “Chief Secretary K. Ramakrishna Rao immediately spoke to Coordination Secretary Gaurav Uppal in Delhi and issued necessary instructions.
“A control room has been set up in the Secretariat to continuously monitor the details and relief measures related to this incident and to provide information to the families and relatives,” the office said.
The Indian Consulate in Medina said it and the Indian Embassy are in touch with the Saudi Hajj and Umrah Ministry and other local authorities.
“They are also in touch with the concerned Umrah operators,” a press release said. A team of Consulate staff and volunteers from the Indian community are present at various hospitals and other sites.
“The Embassy in Riyadh and the Consulate General in Jeddah are providing full assistance,” according to the release. “Embassy and Consulate officials are also in touch with the relevant authorities of Telangana State to coordinate with the concerned families.”
