Saudi bus tragedy: Indian Consulate opens camp office in Madinah

Hyderabad: The Indian Consulate General in Jeddah has set up a camp office in the Indian Haj Pilgrims Office, Madinah, for extending assistance to the families of the Indian Umrah pilgrims who died in a bus accident. The Indian Haj Pilgrims Office is located in Room No. 104, First floor, Saroor Taiba Al-Dahbiya Hotel, Al Masani, Madinah, according to a post by the Consulate General on ‘X’. Meanwhile, a delegation of the Telangana government led by Minorities Welfare Minister Mohammed Azharuddin left for Saudi Arabia on Monday night to provide assistance to the families of the victims.

The delegation includes All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) MLA Majid Hussain and Secretary, Minorities Welfare Department, B. Shafiullah. The delegation will meet the Indian embassy officials and Saudi authorities to coordinate the efforts to help the families of the deceased. The delegation was sent as per the decision taken by the Telangana Cabinet on Monday. The Cabinet decided to pay Rs 5 lakh ex gratia to the families of all deceased. At least 45 Umrah pilgrims from Hyderabad were killed when the bus carrying them collided with a diesel tanker near the holy city of Madinah late on Sunday night. A pilgrim survived the accident and was undergoing treatment at a local hospital. According to an official statement from the state government, funeral rites of the deceased may be performed in Saudi Arabia, as per religious customs.

As per the decision taken by the Cabinet, the government will arrange for two family members of each bereaved family to travel to Saudi Arabia to participate in the last rites. The government said it took swift, multi-level action on the tragic bus accident, which occurred when the bus is said to have collided with a diesel tanker about 30 km from Madinah. Chief Minister Revanth Reddy immediately directed the Chief Secretary and DGP to coordinate with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the Indian Embassy, Riyadh and Saudi authorities to verify details. To assist families and ensure uninterrupted communication, helplines have been activated in Hyderabad and New Delhi. Industries and IT Minister D. Sridhar Babu spoke to Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh seeking early confirmation, support, and assistance from the Government of India. Telangana Resident Commissioner in New Delhi, Dr Shashank Goel, chaired an emergency review meeting at Telangana Bhavan. Officials were instructed to maintain constant liaison with MEA, the Indian Embassy in Riyadh, and Saudi authorities. A dedicated Liaison Officer from Telangana Bhavan has been deputed to the MEA office for 24/7 coordination. Dr Gaurav Uppal, Secretary (Coordination), and senior officials took part in the meeting.