Overview
- Reports place the death toll between 42 and 45 after a bus traveling from Mecca to Madinah struck a diesel tanker near Mufrihat around 1:30 am IST, triggering a large fire.
- Only one passenger is confirmed to have survived and is receiving treatment, with most victims reported to be from Hyderabad and elsewhere in Telangana.
- Multiple accounts say women and children were among those killed, with on-ground sources indicating many passengers were asleep when the collision occurred.
- The Consulate General of India in Jeddah and the Embassy in Riyadh have set up 24x7 control rooms, sharing helplines including 8002440003 and deploying staff and community volunteers to hospitals.
- Telangana authorities activated state helplines and announced support measures, while relatives report multi-generation losses including a Hyderabad family that lost 18 members, with formal identification and coordination with Saudi officials ongoing.