18 members of a family killed in tragedy

Hyderabad: It was a horrifying start to Monday when several families in the city woke up dazed on coming to know of the shocking death of several of their family members, who were on a pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, in a gruesome road accident late Sunday night.

One family suffered the unbearable loss of 18 of its members, while another family mourned the death of seven members in the tragic mishap. The pilgrims were proceeding to Medina to complete the rituals of Umrah pilgrimage, when tragedy struck.

A total of 45 pilgrims from Hyderabad have been confirmed dead. The deceased include 17 men, 18 women and 10 children. The only survivor Mohammed Shoaib is currently in hospital, and his condition is stated to be critical. Early in the morning, after reports of the accident trickled in, Mohammed Tehseen, kin of a deceased family, rushed to the office of Al-Makkah Tours and Travels at Mallepally to seek details.

Tehseen said “Seven members from my family went to Saudi Arabia last week for the Umrah. They included my father-in-law, sister-in-law, brother and their son, who all are dead.”

Another family member Mufti Asif said that his family members had also succumbed in the mishap.

Upon questioning the tour operator, Aijaz of Al-Makkah Tours and Travels said one of the pilgrims Mohammed Shoaib jumped out of the bus and was admitted to hospital with severe burn injuries.

“Our representatives from Mecca and Medina have reached the spot for further details.” Aijaz said adding that the bus driver had reportedly jumped out of the vehicle and had fled.

In a quirk of fate, the three generations of a family residing in Vidyanagar died, including the sexagenarian couple Shaik Nazeeruddin (a retired railway employee) and his wife Akhter Begum. Other victims included Salauddin Shaikh and his wife, Sirajuddin and wife, Amina, Rizwana, Shehnaaz, Maria, Shabana, Jafar, and six children. A relative of the family said that the only adult male survivor is the elder son, who stays in the United States.

Relatives said that Naseeruddin and his family had left the city on November 9.

One of the relatives said that on Saturday, “they informed us that they had performed Umrah in Mecca and would be leaving for Madina. We were in constant touch and when there was no communication on Monday, we got worried and later heard about the tragedy that befell them.”

Meanwhile, a mother and her two sons from Meraj Colony and two other kin from Murad Nagar also perished in the accident. It was equally devastating for a family of five – a couple, along with the mother and two kids from Mughal Nagar.

As many as 16 members from Jhirra, Asif Nagar, Bazar Ghat areas also died in the accident. Among them was the family of Mohammed Manzoor, whose mother, wife and daughter also list their lives.

Also killed was Abdul Khadeer and four of his family members.