Bus Crash Kills 45 Hyderabad Pilgrims Returning from Makkah

A wave of shock and profound grief has swept through Hyderabad, India, following news that nearly all of a group of Muslim pilgrims from the city were killed in a horrific bus accident in Saudi Arabia.

Police Commissioner V C Sajjanar confirmed that 45 of the 46 Indian citizens travelling on the bus died in the overnight crash, which occurred while they were en route from Makkah to Medina after completing the Umrah pilgrimage.

\”The tragic bus accident involving Indian pilgrims in Saudi Arabia is deeply distressing,\” Sajjanar said, confirming that \”only one person survived\” the devastating incident.

The bus reportedly collided with a diesel tanker on the highway, causing the vehicle to immediately burst into an inferno. Most of the fatalities are attributed to the fire, as many passengers were reportedly asleep at the time of the impact, leaving them trapped with little chance of escape.

Sources revealed that the group, which included families, had departed Hyderabad on November 9.

One family member in Hyderabad, who lost 18 members across three generations in the crash, captured the scale of the devastation, pleading: \”I told them not to go together. Not to take all the children; at least some members of the family would have survived.\”

The lone survivor, identified as Md Abdul Shoaib (24) from Hyderabad, reportedly escaped because he was seated near the driver and managed to jump out a window. He is currently receiving treatment for his injuries in a Saudi hospital.

The Indian Embassy in Riyadh and the Consulate in Jeddah have set up helplines and deployed teams to the region to coordinate with Saudi authorities and assist the families of the victims.