As many as 18 members of a single family from Hyderabad, spanning three generations, were killed in the devastating road accident in Saudi Arabia that claimed the lives of at least 45 Indian pligrims.
The victims were travelling to Madina after performing Umrah, when their bus collided with an oil tanker and caught fire in the early hours of Monday.
Shaik Nazeeruddin, a retired railway employee, was among those aboard the ill-fated bus. He was traveling with his wife, son, three daughters, and grandchildren, said his nephew Mohammed Aslam.
“Whether it was an accident or what happened, we do not know, but 18 members, Shaik Nazeeruddin, his son, daughters, and grandchildren, were in the bus,” Aslam told PTI.
He added that another of Nazeeruddin’s sons is currently in the United States. Aslam urged authorities to conduct a full inquiry into the tragedy and scrutinize the travel agency that arranged the group’s pilgrimage.
At Nazeeruddin’s home in Ramnagar, heartbreaking scenes unfolded as relatives gathered to mourn. “My sister-in-law, brother-in-law, their son, three daughters, and their children went for Umrah. They left eight days ago. The Umrah was done, and they were returning to Medina. Around 1:30 a.m., the accident occurred, and the bus was destroyed in the fire. They were supposed to return on Saturday,” said Mohammed Asif, another family member, told NDTV.
“Eighteen members of one family, nine adults and nine children, have died. It is a terrible tragedy for us,” he said.
Asif identified his late relatives as Nazeeruddin (70), his wife Akhter Begum (62), son Salauddin (42), daughters Amina (44), Rizwana (38), and Shabana (40), along with their children.
When Nazeeruddin’s sister arrived, she broke down, crying, “My brother’s entire family has been wiped out.”
Hyderabad Police Commissioner V. C. Sajjanar confirmed preliminary information indicating that at least 45 Indian pilgrims, most of them from Hyderabad, had died in the crash. However, as of Monday evening, neither Saudi authorities nor the Indian government had formally confirmed casualty figures.
Meanwhile, the Indian consulate has set up a control room in Consulate General of India, Jeddah and a helpline has also been issued after the bus crash.