The Indian Consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia’s second largest city, said a press release Indian pilgrims were involved in a bus accident near the pilgrimage city of Medina on Monday.
Saudi officials did not immediately confirm the accident or any casualties.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said officials were in “close contact” with Saudi authorities.
“My thoughts are with the families who have lost their loved ones. I pray for the speedy recovery of all those injured. Our Embassy in Riyadh and Consulate in Jeddah are providing all possible assistance,” he wrote on social media.
What do we know about the Saudi Arabia bus crash?
Indian broadcaster NDTV, citing witnesses, reported that 42 Indian citizens were killed in the collision between their bus and the tanker.
Footage circulated on social media reportedly showed massive fire coming out of the accident site.
times of India The bus was reportedly carrying 45 passengers as it traveled from Mecca to Medina, the newspaper quoted unnamed officials as saying.
Muslims from around the world come to Mecca, located in the west of Saudi Arabia, to perform Umrah, a shortened version of the annual Hajj pilgrimage. While Hajj occurs only at a specific time every year, Umrah can be performed throughout the year.
Saudi Arabia is also home to a large number of Indian expatriates.
Edited by: Elisabeth Schumacher