HYDERABAD: Emotions ran high at the Hajj House in Hyderabad on Tuesday where relatives of the 45 Umrah pilgrims who perished in the bus-tanker collision near Madinah on Monday converged, seeking confirmation and clarity on their own journey to Saudi Arabia for one last glimpse of their loved ones.
The air was thick with the silent, soul-crushing weight of the tragedy on the faces of the relatives who clutched their details tightly in trembling hands.
The grief was heart-wrenching. Shaik Rashed, standing amidst the throng, carried the weight of an entire family’s loss. His younger sister, Farhana Sultana, her husband, Shaik Salauddin, and their three small children, Zainuddin, Ridha Tasseen and Tasmia, were all gone. They were part of the toll of 18 persons from one family.
Rashed said he had spoken to them just hours before the accident, receiving happy photos from their pilgrimage. Now, he wrestled with the impossible task of explaining the truth to his mother: “It was very painstaking to convince my mother that her younger daughter is no more. She was inconsolable in her anguish, so much so that she could not even speak.”
He lamented the late hour of the journey by the ill-fated bus, noting the pilgrims usually travel by day. “Why did they delay their departure to 5 am?” he sobbed, the question directed at no one in particular.
At one point, the atmosphere became surcharged, the unbearable tension snapping as tempers and voices got out of hand. The sheer shock, fear and sorrow boiled over into an audible frustration. It was an almost surreal scene, as one burly office assistant later confessed, “I have never seen anything like this. Their sorrow is almost too much to bear.”
Harried officials struggle
The state government machinery has responded admirably to the crisis. Throughout the day, a number of officials, from Hyderabad Collector Hari Chandana Dasari, to RDOs, MROs, tahsildars and police officers, streamed in and out of the Hajj House.
They were clear in their intent of providing concrete assistance to the grieving relatives. Ministers, MLAs and other public representatives had visited the bereaved families to offer their condolences on Monday.
Amidst the chaos, some harried officials were tasked with noting down the details of those who would travel to Madinah for identification and final rites.
Explaining the state’s efforts, Telangana State Haj Committee chairman Syed Gulam Afzal Biyabani stressed the government’s compassion: “You must remember that since these victims had travelled on their own, it is not incumbent upon the Hajj Committee to help you. However, we empathise and sympathise with you.”
He confirmed that Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy called him and directed him to send two relatives per deceased pilgrim, covering all expenses.
The state government had on Monday announced Rs 5 lakh ex gratia to the kin of each deceased, covering all costs for travel, food and other necessities during their time in Saudi Arabia. This commitment extended to fast-tracking documentation; officials quickly renewed the expired passports of some family members by Tuesday evening, ensuring no one was left behind due to bureaucracy.
Final arrangements for the last rites
As the day progressed, the chaos gave way to focused action, as officials prepared for the departure. Government officials confirmed that nearly 40 relatives were listed to fly out of Hyderabad airport around 3 am on Wednesday. This group consisted primarily of blood relatives who were needed for the critical task ahead.
After their arrival, the medical teams would collect their DNA samples to confirm the identities of the deceased. Following this grim process, the bodies would be handed over to their respective family members. The unanimous wish of all the grieving families was to perform the last rites at Madinah, the sacred city that had witnessed their loved ones’ final journey. Despite the profound devastation, the arrangements for this ultimate farewell were put in place, allowing the families to accompany their dead on the final leg of their spiritual and earthly journey.
Sole survivor jumped out of bus after impact
Abdul Sohaib, the sole survivor in the Saudi bus accident, had been travelling with seven members of his in-laws’ family. He, along with the bus driver, jumped out of the bus moments after the impact. Sohaib said that a few minutes before the incident, they had halted for 10 minutes at a sacred place on their way to Madinah. He said that if they had paused for a few minutes more — or had not stopped there at all — the accident might have been avoided.
Top official repatriated over ‘insensitive remarks’
A day after a video showing Mohammad Safiullah, in-charge executive officer of the Telangana Haj Committee, speaking insensitively to relatives of the Saudi Arabia bus accident victims went viral, the state government on Tuesday issued orders repatriating him to Genco on administrative grounds. In the short clip, Safiullah is heard saying, “Why do you need to go (to Saudi Arabia) and see the charred remains and pieces?” Mohammad Asadullah has been posted in his place.