HYDERABAD: The bus accident early on Monday in Saudi Arabia left 45 people dead, with only one passenger - Shoeb - surviving the crash. "I spoke to Shoeb. Going by what he said, some passengers were asleep during the crash. He was lucky to be in the cabin with the driver," his brother, Mohammed Sameer, told TOI over phone. "It is unclear if the tanker hit the vehicle while it was moving or was stationary." Sameer and his family landed in Jeddah three days after the rest of the pilgrims and are yet to finish their Mecca rituals.

The Telangana govt has decided to depute a team, led by its newly appointed minorities welfare minister Mohammad Azharuddin, to Saudi Arabia to coordinate relief efforts. Announcing ex gratia of ₹5 lakh each to the kin of those who died, the govt said

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