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Hyderabad Lok Sabha MP and AIMIM chief, Asaduddin Owaisi, on Monday expressed grief after a bus carrying Indian Umrah pilgrims on its way to Medina from Mecca met with an accident in Saudi Arabia and urged the Centre to bring back the bodies.
Owaisi told ANI that he has spoken to Abu Mathen George, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Indian Embassy in Riyadh, and also contacted two Hyderabad-based travel agencies and shared the passengers' details with the Riyadh Embassy and the Foreign Secretary. He said that there were 42 people on the bus that was involved in the accident. He said, "Forty-two Hajj pilgrims who were travelling from Mecca to Medina were on a bus that caught fire. I spoke to Abu Mathen George, Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM) at the Indian Embassy in Riyadh, and he assured me that they are gathering information about the matter. I have contacted two Hyderabad-based travel agencies and shared the passengers' details with the Riyadh Embassy and the Foreign Secretary." "I request the Union Government, especially EAM S Jaishankar, to bring the bodies back to India and, if anyone is injured, ensure that they receive proper medical treatment," the AIMIM MP added. Earlier today, in a telephonic conversation with ANI, Asaduddin Owaisi expressed grief over the accident in Saudi Arabia. Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy also expressed shock over the bus accident. The Telangana government said it is in contact with the Indian Embassy in Riyadh after local media reported that Indian Umrah pilgrims were killed in the accident. In an official statement, the state government confirmed that Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has alerted officials in New Delhi and instructed them to coordinate closely with embassy authorities. Reportedly, several residents from Hyderabad were on the bus which was travelling from Mecca to Medina, according to the Telangana CMO. Telangana Chief Secretary in Hyderabad, Ramakrishna Rao, alerted the Resident Commissioner Gaurav Uppal, who is in Delhi. He ordered to collect details on how many people from our state are in the accident and provide them immediately, as per the CMO. A control room was set up in the Secretariat to monitor the situation. Further details awaited. (ANI)
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