Saudi Arabia bus crash: 42 Indians on Umrah pilgrim die, Hyderabad man survives miraculously | Top points

The man who survived the accident is identified as 24-year-old Md Abdul Shoeb and is hospitalised in an ICU in Saudi Arabia.

Tragedy hit Indian Umrah pilgrims in Saudi Arabia on Monday morning when 42 such pilgrims, most of whom were from Telangana's Hyderabad, were killed after the bus carrying from from Mecca to Madinah collided with a diesel tanker, said the state government.

Family members and relatives of victims, who were killed in a bus accident near Madinah, mourn in Hyderabad on November 17, 2025. (AFP)

The incident reportedly happened at around 1.30 am (IST) at Mufrihat at around 160 km from Madinah. Most of the pilgrims on the bus were charred to death with only one known survivor so far.

Telangana's chief minister Revanth Reddy, Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu, along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the death of the victims.

Telangana government also announced a compensation of ₹5 lakh for the families of the victims.

Here are the top points on Saudi bus accident -

• While there was no official word on the fatalities, people familiar with the matter told Hindustan times that 44 deaths were confirmed, including 42 Indian nationals and two Saudi citizens who were acting as facilitators for the group.
• All the 42 Indians are from Telangana, and their remains were transferred to King Fahad Hospital, King Salman Hospital and Al Miqat Hospital in Medinah.
• Detailing how the accident unfolded, Hyderabad Police Commissioner VC Sajjanar said that it happened when the bus with pilgrims onboard was going from Mecca to Madinah and it collided with an oil tanker leading to an explosion due to which, fire engulfed the vehicle within a matter of minutes.
• After fire erupted due to the accident, it spread so quickly that passengers did not get any time to escape. “The fire spread rapidly, leaving no time for most passengers to escape,” said Sajjanar, according to news agency ANI.
• The group of pilgrims, which consisted of 54 pilgrims, had reportedly departed from Hyderabad on November 9 and had completed their Umrah rituals in Mecca. They were on their way to Madinah when the accident happened.
• The man who survived the accident is identified as 24-year-old Md Abdul Shoeb and is hospitalised in an ICU in Saudi Arabia.
• Shoaeb could get enough sleep on the bus and thus, moved to the seat next to -the bus driver to perhaps chat with him. When the accident happened, Shoeb jumped out of the window of the bus along with the driver before fire erupted. However, Shoeb lost his parents, grandfather and three members of his uncle’s family in the accident.
• A man, 35-year-old Syed Rashid, lost 18 members of his family in the tragedy including his father Shaik Naseeruddin (65), mother Akhter Begum (60), his brother (38) and sister-in-law (35) and their three children, Sirajuddin, who lived in the United States with his 40-year-old wife Sana, 40, their three children, and others.
• “When I saw them off at the Hyderabad airport on November 9 for the Umrah pilgrimage, I never imagined that I would be seeing them for the last time. I told them not to travel together, especially with children. But they did not listen. At least some of them would have survived, had they heeded to my advice,” Rashid said.