- By Aditya Jha
- Mon, 17 Nov 2025 01:05 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Mecca-Medina Bus Tragedy: In a tragic incident, at least 42 Indian pilgrims are feared dead in Saudi Arabia after a tourist bus carrying tourists collided with an oil tanker between Mecca and Medinah in the early hours of Monday. The collision reportedly occurred at around 1.30 am while group of travellers from Telangana was returning from Mecca after completing their rituals. While reacting to the incident, several prominent personalities, including the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Foreign Minister S Jaishankar, and Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy have expressed their grief.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his grief and stated that the Indian officials are in touch with the Saudi Arabia authorities. "Deeply saddened by the accident in Medinah involving Indian nationals. My thoughts are with the families who have lost their loved ones. I pray for the swift recovery of all those injured. Our Embassy in Riyadh and Consulate in Jeddah are providing all possible assistance. Our officials are also in close contact with Saudi Arabian authorities," PM Modi stated in his post.
Deeply saddened by the accident in Medinah involving Indian nationals. My thoughts are with the families who have lost their loved ones. I pray for the swift recovery of all those injured. Our Embassy in Riyadh and Consulate in Jeddah are providing all possible assistance. Our…
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 17, 2025
Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy stated that the state government is in touch with the Indian embassy in Riyadh, adding that the senior officials have been directed to closely coordinate with embassy authorities. Apart from this, the state government has also issued control room numbers, +91 7997959754 and +91 9912919545, to assist the kins of the victims.
"The news that several Telangana residents who had gone on a pilgrimage to Mecca have died in this incident has caused deep sorrow," Reddy was quoted as saying by PTI. "I have instructed the Chief Secretary and DGP of the state government to immediately speak to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs and Embassy officials to inquire about the well-being of our people and take relief measures," he added.
The Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has also expressed grief over the incident and directed the Telangana chief minister to coordinate with the central agencies.