Saudi Umrah bus tragedy: Telangana CM Revanth Reddy asks CS, DGP to coordinate with Indian Embassy

Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy expressed deep shock over the tragic bus accident in Saudi Arabia involving Indian pilgrims who included pilgrims from Hyderabad.

He directed the Chief Secretary (CS) K. Ramakrishna Rao and the Director General of Police (DGP) B. Shivdhar Reddy to get complete information and also details on how many passengers from Telangana were involved, while instructing them to immediately contact the Union Ministry of External Affairs and officials at the Saudi Embassy. He also ordered that necessary assistance be provided without delay.

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Following the CM Reddy’s instructions, Chief Secretary Ramakrishna Rao alerted Gaurav Uppal, the Resident Commissioner in Delhi. He was asked to collect and share full details regarding how many people from Telangana were among the victims.

The State Government has set up a control room at the Secretariat to assist families of those affected by the accident. The helpline numbers are: 79979 59754 and 99129 19545.

Senior officials swung into action and are coordinating with Indian missions in Saudi Arabia. They have spoken to the Consulate General in Jeddah and the other officials in Riyadh, seeking confirmation on whether any pilgrims from Telangana were involved and, if so, their details.

A control room has also been set up at Telangana Bhavan, New Delhi. Senior officials at Telangana Bhavan are in direct contact with the Indian Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Efforts are under way to ascertain the full details of the accident and confirm how many individuals from Telangana were involved, according to a statement from the CMO.

Officials entrusted with the responsibility at Telangana Bhavan, New Delhi are Vandhana, PS to Resident Commissioner (98719 99044), CH. Chakravarthi, Public Relations Officer (99583 22143) and Rakshith Nail, Liaison Officer (96437 23157).

The accident occurred while the bus was travelling from Mecca to Medina, and several passengers from Hyderabad are believed to be among those affected.