Many Indian pilgrims feared dead in Saudi Arabia bus crash

Indian officials reported that numerous pilgrims from India are feared to have died following a tragic collision between a bus and a diesel tanker near the revered city of Medina in Saudi Arabia. The bus, carrying 46 passengers, was en route from Mecca to Medina when the accident occurred on a highway, as shared by Gaurav Uppal, a senior official representing Telangana state. Uppal, based in New Delhi, is actively participating in coordinating rescue operations with Indian authorities in Saudi Arabia. Close to 45 individuals from Telangana are believed to have lost their lives in the crash, with one person sustaining injuries. Concerned relatives of the victims gathered outside the Fly Zone travel agency's office in Hyderabad seeking information about their loved ones. While Saudi officials have not yet responded to inquiries, Indian leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar, and Telangana's prominent official Revanth Reddy have expressed their condolences to the grieving families. Foreign Minister Jaishankar noted in a statement that the Indian embassy in Riyadh and the consulate in Jeddah are providing assistance to the affected families. Mohammed Tehseen shared that seven of his family members were among the bus passengers, with only one surviving the tragedy and contacting their family afterward. Preliminary reports from Vishwanath Channappa Sajjanar, the police chief of Hyderabad, revealed that at least 18 of the deceased were from Hyderabad, mostly from two families. He mentioned that the police are in communication with the travel agency through which the pilgrims had organized their journey to Saudi Arabia.