Indian authorities expedite identification of Telangana pilgrims killed in Madinah crash

Indian officials are working with Saudi authorities to identify Telangana pilgrims who died in a bus accident near Madinah. With bodies charred beyond recognition, DNA tests are required. Over 40 pilgrims died, while one Hyderabad native survived and is under treatment

Dubai: Indian authorities are working to expedite the identification of pilgrims who were charred to death in the tragic road accident near Madinah in Saudi Arabia.

Indian Consul General Fahad Khan Suri and a team of officials rushed to Madinah, about 400 km from Jeddah, to meet local authorities and ascertain the identity of the victims. As the bodies were burnt beyond recognition, DNA tests will be required, and Indian officials began coordinating procedures to speed up identification and assist families with burial arrangements. Relatives of the victims are expected to arrive in Saudi Arabia to provide DNA samples, according to sources.

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All the bodies have been shifted to the mortuaries of three major hospitals in Madinah. More than 40 Umrah pilgrims, all from Telangana, were burnt to death in the accident on Sunday night. Mohammed Abul Shoeb, a native of Hyderabad, is the only survivor and is undergoing treatment at a hospital in Madinah.

The accident took place on the Makkah to Madinah road near Mufrihat towards Badr, when the bus carrying pilgrims collided with a fuel tanker. All victims were from Hyderabad, including 19 members of a single family.

“All these 19 people were my relatives,” said Mohammed Mazhar, a native of Mallepally in Hyderabad and resident of Hanakiya near Madinah.

He told Telangana Today that relatives were preparing for DNA tests to identify the bodies. Local authorities have not yet issued an official statement confirming the casualty count. The Indian Consulate has set up a hotline and control room to assist the victims’ families. The Makkah to Madinah road carries thousands of pilgrims each day.