Forty-five Umrah pilgrims from Hyderabad, India, lost their lives when their bus collided with a diesel tanker and caught fire near Medina, Saudi Arabia on Monday, November 17, 2025. The incident occurred around 1:30 a.m. IST in the Mufrihat area, approximately 160 kilometers from Medina, as the group traveled from Mecca to Medina after completing their pilgrimage.
Of the 46 passengers on board the bus, only one person survived the inferno. The lone survivor, 24-year-old Mohd Abdul Shoaib, a resident of Hyderabad, escaped by jumping through a window moments before flames engulfed the vehicle. Shoaib had been sitting near the driver’s seat when the collision occurred and managed to exit the bus along with the driver just seconds before the fire spread. He was admitted to the intensive care unit of a hospital in critical condition.
According to Hyderabad Police Commissioner VC Sajjanar, the tragedy unfolded with devastating speed. The fire spread rapidly, leaving no time for most passengers to escape after the collision with the oil tanker triggered an explosion that consumed the bus within minutes.
Among the victims were 18 members of a single family spanning three generations. Syed Naseeruddin, a retired railway employee, had traveled with his wife Akhter Begum and their extended family, including one son, three daughters, and numerous grandchildren. The family group consisted of nine adults and nine children, all from the Ramnagar area of Musheerabad in Hyderabad. Another family from the city lost five members in the same incident.
The group of 54 pilgrims had departed from Hyderabad on November 9, 2025, for what was scheduled to be a two-week Umrah (pilgrimage), with plans to return on either November 23 or 25. While 46 passengers were aboard the bus at the time of the crash, other members of the larger group had traveled separately by car or remained in Mecca for personal reasons.
Relatives of the victims described the family’s excitement about the pilgrimage in the days leading up to their departure. One family member, 35-year-old Syed Rashid, who lost 18 relatives, including his parents, told reporters, “I told them not to go together. Not to take all the children; at least some members of the family would have survived.”
The rapid spread of the fire left passengers with virtually no opportunity to escape. Most victims were believed to have been asleep when the collision occurred, and the intensity of the blaze made identification of remains difficult. Many bodies were reportedly charred beyond recognition, complicating efforts by Saudi authorities and Indian consular officials to confirm identities.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences following the incident, stating that India’s embassy in Riyadh and consulate in Jeddah were providing all possible assistance to affected families. The Indian mission in Jeddah established a 24-hour control room and issued multiple helpline numbers for families to contact for support and information.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who was visiting Russia at the time, also conveyed his shock over the accident and confirmed that embassy officials were in close contact with Saudi Arabian authorities. Indian diplomatic personnel worked with the Saudi Haj and Umrah Ministry and local authorities to coordinate assistance efforts.
Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy announced that the state government would provide compensation of five lakh rupees to the families of each victim. The state cabinet decided to send an official delegation to Saudi Arabia led by Minorities Welfare Minister Mohammad Azharuddin, accompanied by an AIMIM member of the legislative assembly and a senior minority affairs official.
Two family members of each victim would be facilitated to travel to Saudi Arabia. A control room was established at the Telangana Secretariat to provide support and coordinate with affected families. Chief Minister Reddy directed Chief Secretary K Ramakrishna Rao and Director General of Police Anjani Kumar to verify victim identities and gather complete details of the incident.
The survivor, Mohd Abdul Shoaib, had been traveling with seven members of his family, including his parents Abdul Khadeer, 56, and Ghousiya Begum, 46, his grandfather Mohammad Moulana, and three members of his uncle’s family. All perished in the fire. According to his relative Mohammed Tehseen, Shoaib called family members around 5:30 a.m. to inform them he had managed to escape, though he could not be reached afterward as he had been admitted to the hospital.
Umrah is a pilgrimage to Mecca that Muslims can undertake at any time of year, unlike the annual Hajj pilgrimage which occurs during specific dates in the Islamic calendar. The journey holds deep religious significance for Muslims worldwide, and thousands of Indian pilgrims travel to Saudi Arabia each year to perform these rituals.
The incident represents one of the most severe overseas accidents involving pilgrims from Telangana in recent years. At the Hajj House in Nampally, grief-stricken families waited anxiously for information about identification procedures and next steps, clutching photographs and documents while seeking clarity on when they might be able to perform final rites for their loved ones.
As of November 20, 35 family members of the victims reached Saudi Arabia for DNA procedures and funeral arrangements, with additional family members expected to follow.
Saudi authorities approved the burial of all 45 victims at Jannat-ul-Baqi, one of Islam’s most revered cemeteries in Medina, with funeral prayers held on Friday, November 21, at Masjid-e-Nabawi (The Prophet’s Mosque). The final rites of all 45 Umrah pilgrims were performed at Jannat-ul-Baqi on Saturday, November 22.
Due to severe burns sustained by many victims, DNA testing and other formalities were conducted to confirm identities before death certificates were issued by local authorities.
The lone survivor, 25-year-old Mohammed Abdul Shoaib from Jhirra, continues to undergo treatment at a local hospital in Medina with severe injuries.