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The deaths of 42 Indians in a road accident on the Mecca-Medina highway have shocked everyone. 24-year-old Mohammad Abdul Shoaib was unable to sleep on the bus traveling from Mecca to Medina, while all 45 other passengers were fast asleep. So, he moved to the seat next to the driver and, presumably, chatted with him to pass the time. His alertness may have saved his life.
Shoaib and the bus driver jumped off the bus when the accident occurred. Upon colliding with the oil tanker, the bus caught fire, engulfing the 42 Indians. Another 45 passengers, including two foreign assistants, were sleeping and could not escape as the fire engulfed the bus in an instant.
Mohammad Tahseen, a close relative of Shoaib, who was waiting for information at the Haj House in Nampally, said, “We received a call from Shoaib around 5:30 a.m., saying he somehow escaped the accident, while everyone else was trapped in the flames. Later, we received information that he had been admitted to the hospital, so we couldn’t contact him.”
Shoaib’s family members did not survive.
A resident of Natarajanagar Colony in Jhirrah, Hyderabad, Shoaib had gone to Saudi Arabia for Umrah along with his parents, Abdul Qadir (56) and Gausia Begum (46), his grandfather, Mohammad Maulana, and four other members of his uncle’s family.
His relative, Tahseen, said, “Four other people from his area stayed in Mecca. Immediately after the accident, Shoaib called one of them and informed them about the tragedy.” He said that Shoaib was injured after jumping from the bus and is currently admitted to a German hospital in Medina.
Pilgrims were on their way to Medina after completing rituals in Mecca.
The pilgrims had completed their Umrah rituals in Mecca and were traveling by bus to Medina when the accident occurred. All the deceased were from Hyderabad. Relatives of the pilgrims rushed to the Haj House to inquire about the well-being of their relatives on the bus. Some, with hope, rushed to the offices of travel operators and officials. However, apart from Shoaib, no Indian passenger survived.
