Not less than 42 Umrah pilgrims are believed to have lost their lives in a bus-diesel tanker collision along the Makkah–Medina highway today.
The bus had burst into flames after the collision near Muhras, about 160 kilometres from Medina.
The bus was en route from Makkah to Medina when the crash occurred around 1:30 am (IST), a time when most passengers were reportedly asleep, reports say.
The causality figures would have been less but fuel had spilled from the tanker leading to a blaze engulfing the spot.
Eye witnesses say the heavy inferno completely burnt the vehicle, making identification of the victims extremely difficult.
READ ALSO: Islamic Cleric Sheikh Gumi Deported, After Being Barred From Hajj
READ ALSO: 2025 Hajj: ‘Why We Closed Pilgrims Registration Exercise’
11 women and 10 children, are said to have lost their lives, according initial reports, with emergency responders from Saudi Civil Defence and the Red Crescent describing the scene a horrow.
The bus had been burnt to ashes, and victims burnt to ashes while their charred remains littered the spot
As at the time of filing this report, the road remained closed amidst continuing resuce operations and traffic control operations.
According to report, the Indian Embassy in Riyadh and the Consulate in Jeddah have launched 24-hour emergency helplines.
Cami Ezenwa is a writer, editor and concepts developer. He has worked with the Daily Times, Daily Independent, Financial Standard and Business Television, to mention a few.
Committed to grooming the next generation of impactful writers, he is an apostle of free flowing prose.
