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Eighteen members of a household were among astatine slightest 45 Umrah pilgrims from Hyderabad charred aboriginal Monday successful a autobus inferno triggered by a road collision with a substance tanker portion travelling from Mecca to Medina successful Saudi Arabia.
Mohammed Shoeb, the lone pilgrim to survive, escaped due to the fact that helium was seated beside the operator erstwhile the autobus burst into flames aft ramming into the tanker astir 1.30am (11pm IST). Both men broke done a model and jumped. Hyderabad constabulary commissioner V C Sajjanar said the 46 passengers were portion of a 54-member radical that flew from the metropolis to Saudi Arabia connected Nov 9. They were to instrumentality connected Nov 23 aft visiting Islam's holiest site.
"Four members of the radical hired a car to question to Medina aft completing Umrah rituals. Another 4 stayed backmost successful Mecca," Sajjanar said. The victims see 22 women and 11 children. Shoeb, whose member besides travelled to Saudi Arabia for the pilgrimage but wasn't connected the bus, remains successful intensive attraction astatine Saudi German Hospital with injuries to his arms and legs. "I spoke to Shoeb. Going by what helium said, immoderate passengers were dormant during the crash.
He was fortunate to beryllium successful the compartment with the driver," his sibling, Mohammed Sameer, told TOI implicit phone. Telangana govt to nonstop squad to Saudi to coordinate relief
"It is unclear if the tanker deed the conveyance portion it was moving oregon was stationary.”Sameer and his household landed successful Jeddah 3 days aft the remainder of the pilgrims and are yet to decorativeness their Mecca rituals. PM Modi condoled the deaths successful a station connected X. “Deeply saddened by the mishap successful Medinah involving Indian nationals. My thoughts are with the families who person mislaid their loved ones.
I commune for the swift betterment of each those injured. Our embassy successful Riyadh and consulate successful Jeddah are providing each imaginable assistance,” helium wrote.Telangana govt has decided to depute a team, led by its minorities payment curate Mohammad Azharuddin, to Saudi Arabia to coordinate alleviation efforts. Announcing ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh each to the kin of those who died, the govt said it would assistance put the funerals of the deceased successful Saudi successful accordance with traditions.
Two members of each affected household would beryllium flown to Saudi, it said. “The bodies were charred beyond recognition.
DNA tests are besides apt to beryllium conducted to place the victims,” said Azharuddin, adding a power country had been acceptable up astatine Haj House (numbers 79979 59754/99129 19545) to supply much accusation to families of victims. The curate reaffirmed the authorities govt, successful coordination with the overseas ministry and Saudi authorities, was making each imaginable efforts to supply assistance, guidance, and indispensable enactment to the families.
Police and govt officials, who are successful interaction with authorities successful Saudi, said the Al-Makkah Travels-owned autobus was astir 25km abbreviated of its destination erstwhile the fatal clang occurred.Saudi authorities person started investigating the circumstances that led to the accident. In a 2023 report, the UN pointed retired that Saudi had a precocious roadworthy fatality complaint compared to different high-income countries. Transporting worshippers astir Saudi’s beatified sites has often proven dangerous, peculiarly during Haj, erstwhile roads tin beryllium chaotic with buses creating interminable postulation jams, sources said.
