Telangana Police personnel conduct investigations near the residence of Syed Naseeruddin, following the tragic bus accident in Saudi Arabia that claimed his life during an Umrah pilgrimage, in Hyderabad, Monday.
Credit: PTI Photo
Hyderabad: At least 45 people, including 10 children from Telangana's capital city Hyderabad who went on an Umrah pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, were killed after the bus they were travelling in collided with a diesel tanker near the holy city of Madinah in the early hours of Monday.
The deceased include 17 men, 18 women, and 10 children. The accident occurred around 1:30 am of Saudi time (4am India time) near Mufrihat, approximately 160 km from Madinah. Sources in the Telangana government said many passengers were asleep when a diesel tanker reportedly veered toward the bus, resulting in a collision that caused the vehicle to burst into flames.
Hyderabad Police Commissioner VC Sajjanar said the pilgrims were part of a 54-member group that left Hyderabad for Makkah on Saturday, November 9, with their return planned for Saturday, November 23. Four pilgrims traveled to Madinah by car, while four others stayed behind in Makkah. Forty-six continued by bus, and 45 of them perished in the accident and one had a miraculous escape. The Telangana government has set up a control room in Delhi to assist the families of the victims.
"Seven of our family members were killed in the blast. A total of 20 people from our locality, Asif Nagar, had gone on Umrah together through a local tour operator. We came to know about the tragedy in the early hours of Monday from the lone survivor. Some of our people want to go to Saudi Arabia to bring back the mortal remains. We never thought such an incident would occur. We are all in shock," said Mohammed Tehseen of Asif Nagar.
The pilgrims had completed Umrah at Makkah and were traveling for Ziyarath when the incident occurred.
The Telangana Congress government convened an urgent cabinet meeting and announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 5 lakh to the family of each victim on Monday afternoon. The cabinet also decided to deploy a government team led by state Minority Welfare Minister Mohammed Azharuddin to Saudi Arabia. An AIMIM MLA and a senior official from the minority welfare department will also be part of the team. Two family members of each victim will be taken to Saudi Arabia, where the last rites of the deceased will be performed.
The newly sworn-in Minority Welfare Minister Mohammed Azharuddin said a control room at Haj House has been opened for families. He added that the bodies were charred beyond recognition and DNA tests may be required for identification.
The minister said the government will send one family member of each deceased pilgrim to Saudi Arabia and will arrange passports for those who need them. He added that the Indian Consul General informed him that the victims will be buried in Saudi Arabia, as is customary for pilgrims who die there.
Authorities in Saudi Arabia said many bodies were severely burnt, making identification difficult. A 24/7 control room has been set up by the Indian Consulate in Jeddah, and another has been established at Telangana Bhavan in New Delhi to assist families in India.
Control room numbers
Control room contact numbers at the Telangana Bhavan in New Delhi:
V Vandhana, PS to Resident Commissioner and Liaison Head: +919871999044
C H Chakravarthi, Public Relations Officer: +919958322143
Rakshith Nail, Liaison Officer: +919643723157.