'My entire family is gone...', Asif's heart wrenching narrative; 18 loved ones lost in Saudi bus crash

Riyadh (The Uttam Hindu): Eighteen members of an Indian family have died in a horrific road accident in Saudi Arabia. The deceased include nine children and nine adults. The horrific accident occurred late Sunday night when a passenger bus traveling from Mecca to Medina collided with an oil tanker, causing the bus to catch fire.

The family is in a state of mourning after this accident. Speaking to a news channel, Mohammad Asif, a relative of the deceased, gave a heartbreaking account of the tragedy. Asif said that his entire family was wiped out in the accident. He said, "My brother-in-law, sister-in-law, sister-in-law's son, three daughters and their children... all are gone. These 18 family members had gone to Jeddah just eight days ago. They were supposed to return from Medina on Saturday."

He said, "We were informed of the accident at 1:30 a.m. It happened 30 kilometers from Medina." According to reports, the bus the family was traveling in was hit by an oil tanker, causing a fire and killing everyone on the spot.

According to Asif, only one child survived the tragic accident, as he was studying in the United States and did not accompany the family on the trip. He said, "My wife, her son-in-law, and daughter are the only children left in the family... Three children of a relative living in the US also died in the accident."

Asif also clarified that they (the family) are from Ramnagar. He said, "The travel agency is not at fault. It was just an accident."

According to reports, a total of 45 Indian citizens were aboard the bus that suffered the accident. The accident was so severe that the bus was completely engulfed in flames, preventing passengers from getting out. While authorities have not yet released an official death toll, the news of the deaths of 18 members of a single family has shocked everyone.