Pilgrim bus crash near Saudi Arabia's Medina kills 45: Indian police
AFP/Riyadh
November 17, 2025 | 04:33 PM
A fatal accident involving a bus filled with Indian pilgrims killed at least 45 people near Saudi Arabia's holy city of Medina, Indian police said Monday, one of the deadliest crashes in the Gulf kingdom in years."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," he said.
Family members and relatives of victims, who were killed in a bus accident near the holy city of Medina, mourn in Hyderabad on November 17, 2025. The Indian embassy in Saudi Arabia on November 17 said a "tragic" bus crash involving Muslim pilgrims occurred near the holy city of Medina overnight, with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi offering his condolences.
Saudi officials have not provided a toll for the crash.Earlier on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered his condolences in a post on social media, saying the Indian embassy was working with Saudi officials on the ground."Deeply saddened by the accident in Medina 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.