At least 45 Indian pilgrims were killed after their bus collided with a diesel tanker near the holy city of Medina in Saudi Arabia, police said.
The crash occurred in the early hours of Monday, at around 1.30am near Mufrihat, about 160km from Medina. Many passengers were asleep when the bus hit the tanker and burst into flames.
The only person who survived is receiving treatment at a hospital, VC Sajjanar, a top police official in India’s southern city of Hyderabad said. All the pilgrims were from Hyderabad in the Indian state of Telangana.
Umrah, or minor pilgrimage, can be performed at any time and is not deemed compulsory for Muslims.
He said the batch of 54 umrah pilgrims left the city for Mecca on 9 November. Four of them went to Medina by car, 46 others boarded the bus to the city, while four stayed in Mecca.
“Their travel plan was from November 9 to 23,” he said.
Rescue teams said the bodies were completely charred, making identification difficult. The Indian Consulate in Jeddah has set up a 24/7 control room for families, with a toll-free helpline at 8002440003.
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi said he was “deeply saddened by the accident in Medina involving Indian nationals”.
“My thoughts are with the families who have lost their loved ones. I pray for the swift recovery of all those injured. Our Embassy in Riyadh and Consulate in Jeddah are providing all possible assistance. Our officials are also in close contact with Saudi Arabian authorities,” he wrote on X.
Deeply saddened to share that 10 residents from Meraj Colony, ToliChowki and Mughal Nagar, Pillar No 89 lost their lives in the tragic Umrah bus fire accident. I am visiting their families to convey our heartfelt condolences in this hour of immense grief.
— Kausar Mohiuddin (@kausarmohiuddin) November 17, 2025
AIMIM President Br… pic.twitter.com/Fa4zSabXcZ
A control room has also been set up by the Telangana Bhawan in New Delhi to coordinate operations and assist families of the victims in India.
Visuals from Hyderabad city in India showed family members expressing shock, and breaking down after the news broke of the entire bus being engulfed in flames.
A resident said “my entire family is dead” in the accident, and they are still awaiting more information.
He told ANI his relatives were travelling from Mecca to Medina when the crash happened at night.
#WATCH | Hyderabad, Telangana | Bus accident in Saudi Arabia | A resident of Hyderabad, says, "Five members of my family went to Saudi Arabia and on the way to Medinah, the bus carrying them met with an accident and we have information that all people present in the bus died...We… pic.twitter.com/xAx20EMbHZ
— ANI (@ANI) November 17, 2025
Member of parliament Asaduddin Owaisi said he had spoken to Abu Mathen George, deputy chief of mission at the Indian Embassy in Riyadh, who assured him that officials were gathering information. “I have contacted two Hyderabad-based travel agencies and shared the passengers’ details with the Riyadh Embassy and the Foreign Secretary,” he said.
He urged the Indian government and foreign minister S Jaishankar to expedite efforts to bring back the bodies of the victims and assist the injured.
Telangana chief minister Revanth Reddy said he was “shocked” by the incident, adding that he was in contact with the Indian Embassy in Riyadh after local media reported that Indian Umrah pilgrims were among those killed.
The incident comes as Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Mohammed bin Salman is travelling to the US for talks with US president Donald Trump, his first visit since 2018 killing of Saudi critic Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents in Istanbul.
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