Saudi Arabia Bus Accident: 24-year-old Mohammad Abdul Shoeb from Hyderabad is the only surviving witness of a horrific bus accident in Saudi Arabia. This accident claimed the lives of 45 other passengers. The bus, which was travelling from Mecca to Medina, collided with a diesel tanker, after which a massive fire broke out in the bus. While all the other passengers on the bus were in deep sleep and could not escape the fire, Shoeb was unable to sleep in the bus. This lack of sleep proved to be a blessing for him.

Actually, this whole story is about a heart-wrenching tragedy that happened during the journey of faith, in which 18 members of a family were burnt to ashes, but a young man survived after losing his own family.

When Shoaib saw his loved ones in the fire

At the time of the accident, the 45 passengers on the bus were fast asleep, but Shoaib, from Asifnagar, Hyderabad, couldn't sleep. To pass the time, he moved to the seat next to the driver and was likely chatting with him. Meanwhile, a speeding diesel tanker hit the bus with great force. Both Shoaib and the driver were alerted by the impact. Upon impact, both Shoaib and the driver jumped out of the window, just seconds before the bus caught fire.

His relative, Mohammad Tahseen, said, "We received a call from Shoaib around 5:30 a.m. saying he had escaped the tragedy, while everyone else was engulfed in flames." Shoaib was immediately hospitalized, but his biggest shock was the loss of his parents—Abdul Khadeer (56) and Ghousia Begum (46)—and his uncle's family, including his grandfather, Mohammad Maulana, in the accident. Shoaib's family, who had embarked on the holy Umrah pilgrimage, were reduced to ashes. Shoaib sustained injuries during the jump and is currently admitted to the ICU at a German hospital in Medina.

Tragic death of 18 members of a family

According to a Hindustan Times report, this incident brought unbearable pain to Syed Rashid, also from Hyderabad. He lost 18 members of his family in this horrific bus accident. The deceased included his father, Sheikh Nasiruddin (65, a retired railway employee), his mother, Akhtar Begum (60), his 38-year-old brother, his 35-year-old sister-in-law, and their three children. Several other relatives, including his brother Sirajuddin, who lives in the US, his wife, Sana (40), and their three children, also perished in the accident.

"When I saw them off at Hyderabad airport for Umrah on November 9th, I never imagined it would be our last meeting," said Rashid, who lives in Vidyanagar, tearfully. "I had told them not to travel with their children together. If they had listened, perhaps some of them might have survived."

Relatives of other families who lost their lives in the accident also gathered in despair at the Haj House and travel agency offices in Hyderabad. They were only just receiving word from officials that everyone on board the bus had perished. For many families, a journey that began with a sacred purpose has ended in a heartbreaking end.

PC: NDTV