Saudi Arabia accident: Oil tanker ‘collided with bus stopped at roadside’, officials say; Hyderabad families scramble for answers

Sources in the Ministry of External Affairs said the accident took place nearly 40 km from Medina, at around 11 pm on Sunday, local time. The bus was stopped on the side of the road when the oil tanker collided with it, resulting in an explosion, the sources said, adding that Saudi authorities are investigating the circumstances that led to the incident. They also said that as soon as the Indian consulate in Jeddah learnt of the incident, a team of officers rushed to the site and to hospitals where the casualties were taken.

When news of the bus accident broke in India early on Monday, worried family members rushed to travel agencies for information on their loved ones.

Mohammed Aijaz, the main travel agent at Al Makkah Tours and Travels, which booked the tour package for 15 persons, said the agency had spoken to several of the pilgrims before they boarded the bus. “We had spoken with several pilgrims before they left for Medina regarding bus and hotel arrangements. Now, we are unable to contact anyone,” he said.

Three members of a family from Miraj Colony in Hyderabad died in the accident. They were identified as brothers Mohammed Shoaib Ur Rahman and Saif Ur Rahman, and their mother, Rayees Begum.

“Saif was working in Dubai, and he had gone to Mecca while his brother Shoaib took their mother, Rayees Begum, from Hyderabad. They met up there,” said AIMIM MLA from Karwan, Kausar Mohiuddin.

In Irfan Ahmed’s house at Moghal Nagar in the Karwan area of Hyderabad, the family mourned the deaths of Ahmed as well as his two minor sons, Izaan and Hamdan. The family said Ahmed’s father had clicked a photo of his son and grandchildren just before they left on November 9.

At Mehdipatnam, Mohammed Salman is scrambling for information on his six members of his family who were on the bus to Medina. He said he last spoke to his uncle while the latter was on the bus. “He said that they would arrive in 2-3 hours. Six members of my family were on that bus… I have no information about them… All the phones are not reachable,” Salman said.

Several family members of those on the bus gathered at the Haj House at Nampally. Many of them said that they had talked with their relatives on Sunday evening, just before they started their journey to Medina, but that they were unreachable now.

Hyderabad Police Commissioner V C Sajjanar said a batch of 54 pilgrims had travelled on November 9 to Jeddah and were scheduled to return on November 23. Of the 54 pilgrims, 46 were on the bus from Mecca to Medina, while four travelled separately by car and four more stayed back in Mecca, he said.

“As per our information, 46 persons were on board that bus and at least 45 have died,” Sajjanar said.

MEA sources said the accident left just one survivor, who is an Indian national. Officials from the Consulate General of India in Jeddah have met the lone survivor and are coordinating with the hospital to ensure adequate medical treatment is provided, the sources said.

Mortal remains of the deceased have been transferred to three different hospitals in Medina — King Fahad Hospital, King Salman Hospital and Al Miqat Hospital.

“We are committed to ensuring the swift handling of the mortal remains as per the desires of the families of the deceased,” sources said, adding that families would be given the option of bringing the remains back to India or conducting a burial in Saudi Arabia.

The Indian Mission in Riyadh is in touch with senior officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Interior Ministry and the Transport Ministry in Riyadh, MEA sources said.

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.

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