Indian man loses 18 family members in Saudi crash, had urged them not to travel together
Among the victims were his parents, 65-year-old Shaik Naseeruddin, a retired railway employee, and 60-year-old Akhter Begum.
He bid them goodbye just a few days back as they departed for Saudi Arabia. Little did he know that he would never see them again. It was a big loss for 35-year-old Syed Rashid, who lost 18 members of his family in the deadly crash near Madinah in Saudi Arabia.
Among the victims were his parents, 65-year-old Shaik Naseeruddin, a retired railway employee, and 60-year-old Akhter Begum, along with his 38-year-old brother, his 35-year-old sister-in-law, and their three children, HT reported earlier.
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Also among the deceased were Sirajuddin, who lived in the US, his wife Sana and their three children, as well as relatives Amina Begum and her daughter, Shameena Begum and her son, and Rizwana Begum and her two children.
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Seen off his family on November 9
Rashid, who lives near CPI(M) Marx Bhavan in Vidyanagar, said he had personally seen off the family at Hyderabad airport on November 9 as they left for Umrah.
He recalled urging them not to travel together, especially with children.
“I never imagined that would be the last time I saw them. At least some of them would have survived had they listened,” he said.
Another grieving relative from a separate family said he had lost all five members of his family, two brothers-in-law, his mother-in-law, and a niece.
“When authorities told me that everyone on the bus had died, I was shocked. I urge the government to ensure the bodies are brought back to India,” he said.
Throughout the day, distressed families gathered at Haj House in Hyderabad, seeking information about their loved ones.
A representative of Al Meena Travel Agency, a subsidiary of Al Makkah at Bazarghat, said 20 pilgrims from their group had departed for Saudi Arabia on November 9.
Sixteen were returning to Madinah after prayers in Mecca. Earlier in the day, the agency said their whereabouts were unknown, before Saudi authorities confirmed that all passengers on the ill-fated bus had died.
(With inputs from HT correspondent Srinivasa Rao Apparasu)
