A man, said to be from Hyderabad, witnessed the Saudi Arabia bus crash and informed people back home, urging them to check on their family members on the way to Medina. A bus carrying Umrah pilgrims from Mecca to Medina collided with a diesel tanker at around 1:30 am (IST) near Mufrihat. At least 45 people are feared dead.
In a viral video, reportedly recorded close to the crash site, a man is heard narrating the chain of events to somebody on the call.
The call begins with greetings and goes on to explain the tragedy the caller has just witnessed.
"Information dena ye hai ke, Mecca se Medina ko bus aa rahi thi bhai... Wo bus poori jal gayi. Usme se ek aadmi, ek driver bach gaya bhai. Munawwar bol ke naam bata raha. Hyderabad ke log hai usme. (I want to inform you that a bus travelling from Mecca to Medina has caught fire. Only one man, a driver, survived. He is identifying himself as Munawwar. People from Hyderabad were on board)," the caller is heard saying.
"Agar koi bhi hai, apne gharo ko maloom kar lo bhai thoda. Me bhi abhi abhi bus ko dekha. Me takleef bardasht nahi ho rahi bhai. Me video nikala. Ek aadmi merko number diya. Me phone kar ke logo ko itelah kar raha hu. (Please check with your families. I just saw the bus. I can't bear the pain. I recorded the accident on camera. A man gave me a number, and I am calling people to inform them," he adds.
The caller ends the phone call by saying this is all he could do - inform.
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Saudi Arabia Bus Accident
A horrific bus accident in Saudi Arabia has claimed the lives of at least 45 Indian Umrah pilgrims, many of whom are reportedly from Hyderabad. About 16 pilgrims were travelling through two Hyderabad-based agencies - Al-Meena Hajj and Umrah Travels.
Mohammad Abdul Shoeb is reportedly the lone survivor of the bus crash and is currently in hospital.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar expressed shock at the bus accident and said that the Indian embassy in Riyadh and the Consulate in Jeddah are providing full support.
"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," Jaishankar wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
"Sincere condolences to the bereaved families. Pray for the speedy recovery of those injured," he added.
A control room has been set up at Telangana Bhavan, New Delhi and efforts are underway to ascertain the full details of the accident and confirm how many individuals from Telangana were involved.
The Consulate General of India in Jeddah called it a "tragic" bus accident and has set up a 24x7 control room at 8002440003.
