Riyadh/Hyderabad: A major tragedy has come to light after a bus carrying Umrah pilgrims traveling from Makkah to Madinah collided with a diesel tanker near Mufrihat in Saudi Arabia early Monday morning, resulting in the deaths of at least 42 Indian pilgrims. Most of the deceased are reported to be from Telangana.

The impact of the accident was so severe that the bus was completely destroyed, killing many passengers on the spot. Several others sustained serious injuries and were shifted to nearby hospitals. Rescue teams and local police continued operations until morning. Identification of the deceased is still underway.

In response to the incident, the Indian Consulate in Jeddah has set up a 24×7 emergency control room for assistance and has released a toll-free helpline number: 8002440003.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy and said that the Indian Embassy in Riyadh and the Consulate in Jeddah are providing all necessary support to the victims and their families. He conveyed condolences to the families of the deceased and wished a speedy recovery for the injured.

Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy expressed shock over the accident and instructed Chief Secretary K. Ramakrishna Rao and DGP B. Shivadar Reddy to immediately gather details of the affected pilgrims. The state government is providing updates to families through its control room numbers: 79979 59754 and 99129 19545.

Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi also expressed deep grief over the tragedy and told ANI that he has shared information collected from city-based Umrah tour operators with the Indian Embassy in Riyadh.

He urged the central government to take steps to bring the bodies back to India and ensure proper medical treatment for the injured.

Source: Vartha Bharathi (Translate in english)