Watch: Mohammad Azharuddin performs final rites of departed Madina pilgrims

Published - 23 Nov 2025, 13:04 IST | Updated - 23 Nov 2025, 13:11 IST

Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Azharuddin has paid a personal visit to be a part of the final rites of the 46 unfortunate victims to have lost their lives during a tragic bus mishap on November 16. He is currently serving as a minister in the Telangana state cabinet.

Azharuddin, the minorities welfare minister, posted a video on his Instagram account in which he was spotted praying for the victims along with their families. Azharuddin also expressed gratitude to the Chief Minister of Telangana and other dignitaries from Saudi Arabia for ensuring prompt action for the families of the deceased to travel from Hyderabad and arrive in Saudi Arabia to mourn for their family members.

"The last rites of the 46 Umrah pilgrims from Hyderabad, who tragically lost their lives in the bus accident near Madina on November 16, were performed today in the holy city. On our special request, Janaza prayers were held at Masjid-e-Nabawi after Namaz-e-Zuhr, followed by burial at Jannat-ul-Baqi in Madina Shareef. May Allah grant the departed maghfirat and the highest ranks in Jannat, and give strength and patience to their families. Ameen," Azharuddin captioned a video on his Instagram handle.

A post shared by Mohammed Azharuddin (@azharflicks)

Even the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had previously acknowledged the shared grief of the deaths in a message on his X account.

"Deeply saddened by the accident in Medina involving Indian nationals. My thoughts are with the families who have lost their loved ones. I pray for the swift recovery of all those injured. Our Embassy in Riyadh and consulate in Jeddah are providing all possible assistance," stated the tweet.

The authorities in Saudi have started a probe regarding the circumstances that led to the bus accident. There have been several road fatalities while road travel in Saudi as compared to incidents like the same in other high-income countries. The bus which was carrying the pilgrims collided with an oil tanker and caught fire at approximately 1:30 am local time in Saudi.

An ex-gratia amount of INR 5 lakh each has been announced for the kin of those who passed away. Two members of each affected family have been flown to Saudi Arabia. The Telangana state government has helped coordinate the travel of the familiy members with Azharuddin playing a vital role in the same. Only one person was able to survive the tragedy.