Indian police confirm 45 pilgrims dead in Saudi bus crash

Indian police said on Monday that 45 Muslim pilgrims were killed in an overnight bus accident in Saudi Arabia.

"The tragic bus accident involving Indian pilgrims in Saudi Arabia is deeply distressing," V C Sajjanar, police commissioner for the city of Hyderabad, where many of the Indian citizens were reported to have come from, told reporters.

"According to preliminary information, 46 people were travelling in the bus at the time of the incident, and heartbreakingly, only one person survived."

Earlier, the Indian embassy in Saudi Arabia said that a “tragic” bus accident involving Muslim pilgrims took place near the holy city of Madina overnight, prompting Prime Minister Narendra Modi to extend his condolences.

"Deeply saddened by the accident in Madina involving Indian nationals. My thoughts are with the families who have lost their loved ones," the prime minister wrote on X.

"I pray for the swift recovery of all those injured. Our Embassy in Riyadh and consulate in Jeddah are providing all possible assistance," he added.

Indian media reported dozens had potentially been killed in the incident, though officials have yet to provide a toll.

Millions visit Saudi Arabia for the Umrah pilgrimage, which happens outside of the Hajj period.

In March 2023, a bus ferrying pilgrims to the holy city of Makkah burst into flames after a collision on a bridge, killing 20 people and injuring more than two dozen others.

And in October 2019, some 35 foreigners were killed and four others injured when a bus collided with another heavy vehicle near Madina.

Pilgrimages are an essential component of Saudi Arabia's burgeoning tourism sector that officials hope will help diversify the kingdom's economy away from fossil fuels.

The Gulf kingdom is also home to more than two million Indian nationals who have long played a pivotal role in its labour market, helping construct many of the country's mega-projects while sending billions of dollars in remittances back home each year.