At least 42 people were charred to death after a bus carrying Umrah pilgrims collided with a diesel tanker near Medina, 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.The group had left Hyderabad on November 9 and was returning to Medina 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.
Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy expressed deep shock over the “horrific accident involving a bus carrying Indian pilgrims in Saudi Arabia”.The Telangana government said it is in contact with the Indian Embassy in Riyadh.
Following reports of the accident, the chief minister 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.
Officials were instructed to coordinate with the External Affairs Ministry and the Saudi Embassy for urgent relief measures.
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 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.”
