42 Indian pilgrims feared dead in bus–tanker collision near Medina

A passenger bus carrying several Indian Umrah pilgrims collided with a diesel tanker early Monday morning near Medina, the Indian mission in Jeddah confirmed.  

In the wake of the accident, the Consulate General of India in Jeddah has set up a 24/7 control room and released helpline numbers for those seeking assistance.

“In view of a tragic bus accident near Madina, Saudi Arabia, involving Indian Umrah pilgirms, a 24x7 Control Room has been set up in Consulate General of India, Jeddah. The contact details of the Helpline are as under: 8002440003 (Toll free) 0122614093 0126614276 0556122301 (WhatsApp),” reads a post from the Consulate General on ‘X’.

The Telangana government has also set up a control room at Telangana Bhavan, New Delhi.

Senior officials at Telangana Bhavan are in direct contact with the Indian Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Efforts are underway to ascertain the full details of the accident and confirm how many individuals from Telangana were involved.

Control Room Contact Numbers at Telangana Bhavan, New Delhi:

Vandhana, PS to Resident Commissioner and Liaison Head: +91 98719 99044

CH. Chakravarthi, Public Relations Officer: +91 99583 22143

Rakshith Nail, Liaison Officer: +91 96437 23157

External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar also expressed deep concern, saying, “Deeply shocked at the accident involving Indian nationals in Medinah, Saudi Arabia. Our Embassy in Riyadh and Consulate in Jeddah are giving fullest support to Indian nationals and families affected by this accident. Sincere condolences to the bereaved families. Pray for the speedy recovery of those injured.”

Preliminary unconfirmed media reports indicate that most of the pilgrims are from Hyderabad. Given the intensity of the explosion caused by the collision, casualties are feared.

According to unconfirmed media reports, at least 42 Indian Umrah pilgrims are feared dead after a passenger bus travelling from Mecca to Madina collided with a diesel tanker early Monday.

The incident occurred around 1.30 am IST at a location identified as Mufrihat.

The victims, including women and children, were reported from Hyderabad. The group was returning from Mecca after completing their rituals and was en route to Madina at the time of the accident.

The Telangana government has also set up a control room in the Secretariat at Hyderabad to provide appropriate information and assistance to the families of the bus accident victims.

The telephone numbers of the control room are: +91 79979 59754 and +91 99129 19545

Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi said he spoke to the Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM) at the Indian Embassy in Riyadh, who informed him that they were gathering details.

The MP also contacted two Hyderabad-based travel agencies and shared the passengers’ details with the Riyadh Embassy and the Foreign Secretary.

Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy also condoled the loss of lives in the horrific accident involving a bus carrying Indian pilgrims in Saudi Arabia.

The state government has also set up a control room in Hyderabad to provide information and assistance to the families of the accident victims.

(This story was taken from syndicated feed and was only edited for style by Gujarat Samachar Digital team)