After at least 45 Indian pilgrims were killed in the deadly crash near Medina on Monday, one man survived the tragedy by jumping from the badly gutted bus at the last moment. Mohammad Abdul Shoeb, a 24-year-old man, was admitted to the ICU at a Saudi hospital and is in critical condition.
The question remains: how did he survive the devastating crash? Shoeb, a resident of Hyderabad, was reportedly sitting next to the driver when the bus, en route to Medina from Mecca, collided with a diesel tanker, according to media reports.
As per reports, Shoeb had not slept well and moved to the seat next to the driver to chat with him. When the accident took place, an alert Shoeb jumped out of the window along with the driver before the fire engulfed the vehicle. He survived; however, he lost his parents, grandfather, and three members of his uncle’s family in the accident.
How did eight people escape the tragedy?
A group of 54 pilgrims had departed from Hyderabad on November 9 and had completed their Umrah rituals in Mecca. The group consisted of 20 women and 11 children. Miraculously, out of the 54 pilgrims, four had taken a car to travel to Medina, while another four stayed back in Mecca for personal reasons. The remaining 46 pilgrims boarded the unfortunate vehicle.
The man who lost 18 members of his family in the accident
Among those devastated by the tragedy is 35-year-old Syed Rashid, who lost 18 members of his family. Those who died included his father, Shaik Naseeruddin (65), his mother, Akhter Begum (60), his brother (38), his sister-in-law (35), and their three children. His relative Sirajuddin, who lived in the United States, also died along with his wife Sana (40), their three children, and several others. Rashid said, “When I saw them off at the Hyderabad airport on November 9 for the Umrah pilgrimage, I never thought it would be the last time. I had told them not to travel together, especially with the children. But they didn’t listen. Maybe some of them would have survived if they had followed my advice.”
How did the accident unfold?
Hyderabad Police Commissioner VC Sajjanar described how the accident unfolded. He explained that the accident occurred when the bus carrying pilgrims was travelling from Mecca to Medina and collided with an oil tanker, triggering an explosion that caused the vehicle to catch fire within minutes. The fire spread so rapidly that passengers had no time to escape. “The fire spread rapidly, leaving no time for most passengers to escape,” said Sajjanar, according to news agency ANI.