Overview
- A high-level Indian team led by Andhra Pradesh Governor S Abul Nazeer arrived in Madinah on Wednesday with senior MEA officials, while the ambassador and consul general remain on site.
- Relatives from Hyderabad have reached Saudi Arabia to provide samples, with DNA profiling nearly complete and authorities preparing to release bodies in phases.
- Funerals are most likely on Friday after afternoon prayers, with a request submitted for burials at Jannat-ul-Baqi pending Saudi approval.
- Reported fatalities range from 42 to 45 after a bus carrying Umrah pilgrims from Hyderabad collided with an oil tanker near Mufrihat outside Medina.
- The lone survivor, Mohammed Abdul Shoaib, is out of danger at Saudi German Hospital in Jeddah, while Telangana is arranging hotel stays for two relatives per victim and ₹5 lakh relief for each bereaved family.