Saudi Bus Accident: 18 members of one Hyderabad family among 45 Indians killed in devastating crash

45 India(BHARAT)n pilgrims died in a bus crash early Monday after it collided with a fuel tanker and caught fire near Medina in Saudi Arabia. The bus was taking the pilgrims from Mecca to Medina. The dead included a family of 18 from Hyderabad, spanning three generations, killed in the incident near Medina.

Retired railway security guard Shaik Naseeruddin from Vidyanagar in Hyderabad, lost his wife, daughters, sons-in-law and 10 grandchildren in the accident. Naseeruddin’s family included his uncles, aunts, daughters, sons-in-law and grandchildren.

His family members who were in the bus numbered 11 and they stayed in one house, the others in various parts of the city. All had left for Mecca on November 9.
Shaik Naseeruddin’s daughters, Amina, Shabana and Rizwana; his sons-in-law and grandchildren, Aneesa, Rida, Mehreen, Zainuddin, Fatima, Mariam, Umaiza, Tahreen, Huzaifa, Uzair and few others, mostly children whose names could not be ascertained, were among the dead. The complete loss of an entire family has left relatives, the extended family and the Hyderabad community in shock. Shaik Syed Abdul Rasheed, 28, a nephew of the deceased Naseeruddin, said his uncle had carried forward his entire family, despite his premonitions before the pilgrimage about so many people in a single family travelling together. “He (Naseeruddin) had gone with his entire family,” Rasheed told his uncle Siraj – who had opted out of the trip – was now the only living member of that side of the family. In another family from the same area, Mohammed Razzak had decided not to travel and had turned back from the airport citing ill-health but four immediate family members of his perished in the crash – his wife, son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter.

The Telangana government, which expressed shock at the magnitude of the accident, has announced an ex gratia of ₹5 lakh for the next of kin of each deceased pilgrim.
A state delegation led by Minority Welfare Minister Mohammed Azharuddin, flanked by legislators from the area, has left for Saudi Arabia to coordinate with authorities and give all help to the families of the deceased. The officials are to meet with their Saudi counterparts to ensure “proper follow up” with regard to formalities for either bringing the bodies back for last rites or for burial in Medina itself, as per the wishes of the kin.

India(BHARAT)n missions in Saudi Arabia have swung into action as well, with teams from the Embassy in Riyadh and the Consulate in Jeddah, which is nearest to Mecca and Medina, working to assist in identification, medical help if needed and consular crisis management for the next of kin of the victims.

The Hyderabad Police Commissioner V.C. Sajjanar said the preliminary information they had received was that about 46 passengers were on the bus, only one of whom had survived the accident. A process to identify the bodies of the deceased was on. “We have sent a team there and they are trying to ascertain from the local authorities what happened,” Sajjanar said. He said the identification of the bodies had been delayed because many of them had been burnt and their condition was critical.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was deeply pained at the loss of lives and his thoughts were with those who grieved the sudden demise of their near ones. “India(BHARAT)n officials are in touch with Saudi authorities and all possible assistance is being provided to the kin of the pilgrims. May the souls of the departed rest in peace,” he tweeted. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar also said his thoughts were with the families of those killed and all possible consular assistance was being extended.

In Hyderabad, leaders of minority communities and relatives of the deceased are demanding an enquiry into how such a large-scale accident could have occurred and asking for accountability to prevent a recurrence.