Forty-five Indian pilgrims have been killed after the bus they were travelling in caught fire in an accident near Medina in Saudi Arabia, the police commissioner of India's Hyderabad city has said.
The bus had 46 passengers, said VC Sajjanar in a press conference, adding that one man who survived the accident has been admitted to an intensive care unit in a local hospital.
Most of the victims, which include women, are from Hyderabad, which is in southern Telangana state.
The pilgrims were travelling from the Islamic holy city of Mecca to Medina when the accident took place, the Telangana government said in a press statement.
They had gone to Saudi Arabia for the Umrah pilgrimage, which is a shorter version of Hajj, the biggest Islamic pilgrimage.
Mr Sajjanar said that an oil tanker was involved in the accident but did not give more details.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his deep sadness over the incident and stated that Indian authorities are in close communication with officials in Saudi Arabia. He noted that the Indian Embassy in Riyadh and the Consulate in Jeddah are providing assistance.
Control rooms have been set up in Jeddah and Hyderabad to assist the families of the victims. Asaduddin Owaisi, a lawmaker representing Hyderabad, has asked the federal government for help in repatriating the bodies of the deceased.
On November 9, 54 individuals traveled from Hyderabad to Jeddah for the pilgrimage. Out of these, four remained in Mecca while another four traveled to Medina by car. The remaining group of 46 was on the bus that met with the accident.
As news of the tragedy broke, distraught relatives have shared their grief. Mohammed Tehseen, a resident of Hyderabad, reported that seven of his relatives were on the bus. He learned of the incident after receiving a call from his cousin Shoaib, who survived and is now hospitalized.
