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HYDERABAD: A Hyderabad youth, Mohd Abdul Shoaib, was the lone survivor from his family in the Saudi Arabia bus crash near Madina on Monday, his relatives in the city said. Shoaib, 24, is undergoing treatment in the intensive care unit.

Shoaib calls brother in Mecca after crash

Relatives said Shoaib called his brother Mohd Abdul Sameer, who had stayed back in Mecca, and informed him of the crash and his escape. “He told Sameer about the accident and how he survived,” his cousin Mohd Abdul Ahad said. The family hailed from Natrajnagar, Jhirra.

Parents killed as bus hits diesel tanker

According to relatives, Shoaib was seated beside the driver when the bus rammed into a diesel tanker. One account said he broke a window and jumped to safety. His parents Mohd Khadeer and Ghousiya Begum died on the spot.

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Telugu reports earlier indicated that Shoaib had travelled with extended family members, several of whom were also feared dead, though identifications were being confirmed by Saudi authorities.

Five from Mughalnagar among victims

Five members of a family from Mughalnagar were among those who died in the crash: Irfan Ahmed, his wife Humera Nazneen, their children Izaan and Hamdan, and his mother Sabiha Sultana.

Two brothers of Ahmed reached the Haj House in Hyderabad to arrange the last rites. They said Ahmed had spoken to them on Sunday and told them the family was leaving for Madina after completing prayers in Mecca.

A childhood friend said, “Irfan’s family is shattered and unable to speak. He was kind-hearted, good-natured and well-known among relatives and friends.”