RIYADH: A deadly accident involving a bus stuffed with Indian pilgrims killed no less than 45 individuals close to Saudi Arabia’s holy metropolis of Medina, Indian police mentioned on Monday (Nov 17), one of many deadliest crashes within the Gulf kingdom in years.
“The tragic bus accident involving Indian pilgrims in Saudi Arabia is deeply distressing,” VC Sajjanar, police commissioner for town of Hyderabad, the place most of the Indian residents had been reported to have come from, advised reporters.
“In accordance with preliminary info, 46 individuals had been travelling within the bus on the time of the incident, and heartbreakingly, just one individual survived,” he mentioned.
Saudi officers haven’t supplied a toll for the crash.
Earlier on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi provided his condolences in a put up on social media, saying the Indian embassy was working with Saudi officers on the bottom.
“Deeply saddened by the accident in Medina involving Indian nationals. My ideas are with the households who’ve misplaced their family members,” the prime minister wrote on X.
“I pray for the swift restoration of all these injured. Our Embassy in Riyadh and consulate in Jeddah are offering all attainable help,” he added.
Street crashes had been one of many biggest causes of accidents and fatalities in Saudi Arabia, based on a 2023 UN assertion, which additionally mentioned the dominion had retained a excessive street fatality price in comparison with different high-income nations.
Transporting worshippers round Saudi Arabia’s holy websites has regularly confirmed harmful, significantly through the hajj, when roads could be chaotic with buses creating interminable visitors jams.
Tens of millions additionally go to Saudi Arabia for the umrah pilgrimage, which occurs exterior of the hajj interval.
In March 2023, a bus ferrying pilgrims to the holy metropolis of Mecca burst into flames after a collision on a bridge, killing 20 individuals and injuring greater than two dozen others.
And in October 2019, some 35 foreigners had been killed and 4 others injured when a bus collided with one other heavy car close to Medina.
Pilgrimages are a vital part of Saudi Arabia’s burgeoning tourism sector that officers hope will assist diversify the dominion’s financial system away from fossil fuels.
The Gulf kingdom can be residence to greater than two million Indian nationals who’ve lengthy performed a pivotal function in its labour market, serving to assemble most of the nation’s mega-projects whereas sending billions of {dollars} in remittances again residence every year.
Saudi Arabia and India have fostered a detailed relationship for many years.
India’s quickly creating financial system depends closely on petroleum imports, with Saudi Arabia ranked as its third-largest provider, based on the Indian international ministry.
