A late-night road accident near Medina left 42 Umrah pilgrims from India dead. Among them were 18 members of a single family from Hyderabad, turning what was meant to be a spiritual journey into an unimaginable tragedy. According to relatives who spoke to NDTV, the Hyderabad-based family had completed their Umrah and were scheduled to return to India on Saturday.

The group left eight days earlier for the pilgrimage, NDTV reported. Mohammed Asif, a relative, said they had all finished Umrah and were travelling back towards Medina when disaster struck shortly after midnight.

“My sister-in-law, brother-in-law, their son, three daughters and their children went (for Umrah). They left eight days ago… Around 1.30 am, the accident occurred, and the bus was destroyed in the fire. They were suppo

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