RIYADH (Dunya News) - A horrific bus accident near Madinah claimed the lives of 45 Umrah pilgrims from India on Sunday, leaving only one survivor, a 24-year-old young man, Muhammad Abdul Shuhaib.
According to Arab media, the bus was carrying 46 passengers when it collided with an oil tanker. The crash caused a massive fire, killing 45 people on the spot.
Indian media reported that the dead included 20 women and 11 children, most from Hyderabad, while Abdul Shuhaib miraculously escaped moments before the flames engulfed the vehicle.
Indian media reported that the bus was struck while Abdul Shuhaib, a resident of Hyderabad, was talking to the driver, seated right beside him. In a moment of quick thinking, he jumped out through the driver’s side window immediately after the collision, seconds before the bus caught fire. The impact was so severe that the rest of the passengers had no chance to move or escape before the vehicle turned into ashes.
Abdul Shuhaib is currently admitted to the ICU of a Saudi hospital.
Read also: At least 42 Indian Umrah pilgrims die in collision between bus and tanker
Family members told Indian media that Shuhaib works for a private company in Saudi Arabia and had travelled for Umrah with his parents, grandfather, and three relatives from his uncle’s family.
“Shuhaib called us around 5:30 am,” said his relative, Muhammad Tahseen. “He was injured and crying, telling us that he lost his parents, grandfather, uncle, and other family members in the accident — but he managed to escape.”
Since the initial call, the family has not been able to contact him again as he remains under medical care.