All eighteen members of a single family across three generations were among the 45 Umrah pilgrims from Hyderabad killed after a passenger bus on the way from Mecca to Medina collided with a diesel tanker early Monday morning in Saudi Arabia.

Naseeruddin Shaik, a retired railway employee, was travelling in the ill-fated bus with his wife, son, three daughters and grandchildren.

“Whether it was an accident or what exactly happened we still don’t know. But 18 of our family members were on that bus,” his nephew Mohammed Aslam told PTI.

He has called for a thorough inquiry into the circumstances of the crash and the travel agency that arranged the pilgrimage.

The accident reportedly occurred around 1.30 am (IST) in the Mufrihat area. Only one survivor has so far been traced and is undergoin

See Full Page