45 umrah pilgrims from Hyderabad killed in Saudi Arabia bus accident; control rooms opened in Delhi, Telangana Secretariat

Taking to X, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “deeply saddened” by the accident. “My thoughts are with the families who have lost their loved ones. I pray for the swift recovery of all those injured. Our Embassy in Riyadh and Consulate in Jeddah are providing all possible assistance. Our officials are also in close contact with Saudi Arabian authorities,” he added.

In view of a tragic bus accident near Madina, Saudi Arabia, involving Indian Umrah pilgirms, a 24×7 Control Room has been set up in Consulate General of India, Jeddah.

The contact details of the Helpline are as under:

Toll free number-
8002440003@MEAIndia @IndianDiplomacy…

— India in Jeddah (@CGIJeddah) November 17, 2025

Taking to X, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “deeply saddened” by the accident. “My thoughts are with the families who have lost their loved ones. I pray for the swift recovery of all those injured. Our Embassy in Riyadh and Consulate in Jeddah are providing all possible assistance. Our officials are also in close contact with Saudi Arabian authorities,” he added.

In a statement, Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy expressed “shock” over the accident.

Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi said only one person survived the accident. “It took place 25 km away from Medina. I have spoken with officials of the Indian Embassy in Riyadh and requested them to find out more details and extend all help to the survivor, the AIMIM leader said, adding that the passengers reportedly went through two travel agencies.

A control room has been set up in the Secretariat to provide appropriate information and assistance to the families of the bus accident victims through the helplines +91 79979 59754 and +91 99129 19545.

The chief minister has directed Chief Secretary K Ramakrishna Rao and DGP B Shivadhar Reddy to find out all details in connection with the accident. He suggested that they contact officials with the Union Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the Saudi Embassy. He also ordered them to immediately undertake appropriate relief measures as necessary.

The state government has also alerted Gaurav Uppal, Resident Commissioner at the Telangana Bhavan in Delhi, directing him to gather more information about the accident. A control room has also been set up at the Telangana Bhavan and may be contacted at +91 98719 99044 (Vandhana, PS to Resident Commissioner), +91 99583 22143 (C H Chakravarthi, PRO), and +91 96437 23157 (Rakshith Nail, liaison officer).

Relatives shocked by the news of the incident have rushed to travel agencies Monday morning for any information about their loved ones.

Officials of Al Makkah travel agency said they contacted their agents in Riyadh and Mecca and asked them to go to Medina to find out more about the accident and provide details. At least 20 people used the Al Makkah agency to go on the pilgrimage. Travel agent Aijaz Mohammed said that while four of them stayed back at Mecca, 16 from this group had boarded the bus.

“We came to know it collided with a diesel tanker 25 km short of Madina, and the bus burst into flames. There is no direct or sure information about the fate of the people on board. They had left Hyderabad on November 9 on Saudi Airlines. We had spoken with several pilgrims before they left for Madina regarding bus and hotel arrangements. Now we are unable to contact anyone,” he said.

Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation’s Mallepally division corporator Zafar Khan said the pilgrims were from Mallepally, Asifnagar, and Falaknuma areas of Hyderabad.

Hundreds of pilgrims from Hyderabad fly to Saudi Arabia every year to perform the umrah pilgrimage, and several travel agencies offer umrah packages starting from Rs 55,000 per person for a seven-day trip, which involves visiting Mecca and Medina, besides some sightseeing.