Medina: Several Indian Umrah pilgrims, most of them hailing from Telangana, are feared dead in a horrific bus accident in Saudi Arabia’s Madina early Monday.
Around 40 Indians were on board the bus which reportedly collided with an oil tanker at around 1:30 am (IST).
The Indian mission in Jeddah said it has set up a control room to coordinate assistance.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, currently on a visit to Russia, expressed deep shock over the accident.
“Our Embassy in Riyadh and Consulate in Jeddah are giving fullest support to Indian nationals and families affected by this accident,” he said.
“Sincere condolences to the bereaved families. Pray for the speedy recovery of those injured,” he said on social media post.
Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy also expressed shock over the accident.
His office said Reddy, reacting to preliminary information that the accident occurred while the pilgrims were travelling from Mecca to Madina and that residents of Hyderabad were also among those involved, directed the chief secretary and the director general of police to obtain full details.
Reddy’s office said he has instructed officials to contact the Ministry of External Affairs and the Saudi Embassy regarding this incident and to immediately undertake necessary relief measures.
“Chief Secretary K Ramakrishna Rao has promptly spoken with Coordination Secretary Gaurav Uppal in Delhi and issued the required directives,” it said on X.
“A control room has been set up at the Secretariat to monitor details and relief measures regarding this incident on an ongoing basis, to provide information to the families and relatives,” it said.
PTI
