A 24-year-old Indian pilgrim miraculously survived a bus collision with a fuel tanker in Saudi Arabia that killed 45 others on November 18, Indian media reported. Mohammed Abdul Shoaib was the sole survivor among 46 passengers traveling from Mecca to Medina when their bus crashed into a diesel tanker, leading to a massive explosion and fire.
Shoaib, from Hyderabad, India, was seated behind the driver at the time of the impact. The force of the collision reportedly threw him clear of the vehicle just moments before the bus was engulfed in flames.
He was transported to a hospital, though his condition remains unclear. The devastating accident resulted in the immediate deaths of all other passengers on board.
The Indian Consulate in Jeddah has established an emergency coordination center to assist the families of the deceased. India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, who was on a visit to Russia, issued a statement expressing his sorrow and offering condolences to the grieving families, also wishing a swift recovery for the injured survivor.
Revanth Reddy, the Chief Minister of India’s Telangana state, expressed shock over the tragedy. He instructed officials to coordinate immediately with the Ministry of External Affairs and the Saudi embassy to provide urgent assistance.
Control centers have been set up in New Delhi and at the Chief Minister’s office to ensure relatives receive timely information. Indian officials are actively working with Saudi Arabian authorities to verify the identities of the deceased and expedite the repatriation of their remains.