45 Indian pilgrims killed in Saudi Arabia as bus collides with diesel tanker

At least 45 Indians, majority of them Umrah pilgrims from Telangana capital Hyderabad, were killed in Saudi Arabia’s Madina after their bus collided with an oil tanker, officials said on Monday.

Citing preliminary information, Hyderabad Police Commissioner VC Sajjanar put the toll at 45, saying a total of 54 persons from the city had left for the pilgrimage recently. However, there was no official word from the Saudi authorities or the Government of India over casualties.

The Indian mission in Jeddah has rushed officials to the site of the accident to assess the situation.

Related news: Telangana: Relatives of Saudi bus accident victims urge Government to bring back bodies

“At this point, we cannot provide any details of the casualty figure as the process to identify the deceased is underway,” officials said.

As many as 18 members of a family across three generations were in the bus involved in the deadly accident, relatives said.

Shaik Nazeeruddin, a retired railway employee from Vidya Nagar in Hyderabad, was travelling in the ill-fated bus along with his wife, son, three daughters and grandchildren on his way to Madina, his nephew Mohammed Aslam said.

Telangana Hajj Committee said 10 children were among the deceased.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Ministers of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, A Revanth Reddy and N Chandrababu Naidu, respectively, condoled the deaths. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and CMs of various states including MK Stalin (TN) and Omar Abdullah (J-K) and others also expressed anguish over the incident.

The bus reportedly collided with an oil tanker at around 1.30 am (IST).

CM Reddy expressed shock over the tragedy and directed Chief Secretary K Ramakrishna Rao and DGP Shivadhar Reddy to gather details of the victims and verify how many were from the state.

He asked officials to coordinate with the Ministry of External Affairs and the Saudi Embassy to expedite relief efforts. A control room has been activated at the State Secretariat, and Resident Commissioner Gaurav Uppal has been alerted.

Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi said he had spoken to Abu Mathen George, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Indian Embassy in Riyadh, who assured him that information was being collected.

Owaisi said he had shared passenger details received from two Hyderabad travel agencies with the Embassy and the Foreign Secretary.

The parliamentarian urged the Union Government and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to ensure the bodies are brought back to India and that the injured received proper medical care.

Deeply shocked at the accident involving Indian nationals in Medinah, Saudi Arabia.

Our Embassy in Riyadh and Consulate in Jeddah are giving fullest support to Indian nationals and families affected by this accident.

Sincere condolences to the bereaved families. Pray for the…

— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) November 17, 2025

In view of a tragic bus accident near Madina, Saudi Arabia, involving Indian Umrah pilgirms, a 24x7 Control Room has been set up in Consulate General of India, Jeddah.

The contact details of the Helpline are as under:

8002440003 (Toll free)

0122614093

0126614276

0556122301…

— India in Jeddah (@CGIJeddah) November 17, 2025

(With PTI)