Forty-five people have been killed after a bus carrying Umrah pilgrims from India collided with an oil tanker in Saudi Arabia.
According to AFP, a statement issued by the Indian Embassy confirmed that Indian pilgrims were among those involved in the tragic accident near the holy sites in Madinah.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on the social media platform X: “Deeply saddened by the accident involving Indian citizens in Madinah. My prayers are with the families who have lost their loved ones.”
He added that he is praying for the swift recovery of the injured, and that the Indian Embassy in Riyadh and the Consulate in Jeddah are providing all possible assistance.
Indian media has claimed that dozens of people have died in the incident, although officials have not yet released a confirmed death toll.
Reports state that the pilgrims, who were in Saudi Arabia for Umrah, were traveling from Makkah to Madinah on Monday morning when their bus collided with an oil tanker, causing both vehicles to catch fire.
According to the report, around 45 to 46 people were on board the bus. They were residents of Hyderabad in the Indian state of Telangana, and the group included women and children. All passengers are believed to have died in the accident.
It is worth noting that travel between Saudi Arabia’s holy sites often carries significant risks, particularly during Hajj, when heavy traffic and long queues of buses create dangerous conditions on the roads.
