Lack of sleep saved his life… the story of the only survivor of the Saudi Arabian bus accident
Forty-two Indian pilgrims died in a horrific bus accident on the Mecca-Medina Highway in Saudi Arabia. Of all the Indians killed, only Mohammed Abdul Shoaib managed to survive the accident, and the cause is believed to be insomnia.
The deaths of 42 Indians in a road accident on the Mecca-Medina highway have shocked everyone. 24-year-old Mohammad Abdul Shoaib couldn't sleep on the bus traveling from Mecca to Medina, while all 45 other passengers were fast asleep.
So, he moved to the seat next to the driver and, perhaps, chatted with him to pass the time. His staying awake may have saved his life.
When the accident occurred, Shoaib and the bus driver jumped from the bus. Upon hitting the oil tanker, the bus caught fire, engulfing 42 Indians.
Another 45 passengers, including two foreign assistants, were sleeping and could not escape, as the fire engulfed the bus in an instant.
Mohammad Tahseen, a close relative of Shoaib, who was waiting for information at the Haj House in Nampally, said, "We received a call from Shoaib around 5:30 a.m., saying he had somehow escaped the accident while everyone else was trapped in the flames. Later, we were informed that he had been admitted to the hospital, so we couldn't contact him."
Consul General met Mr. Abdul Shoeb Mohammed, the lone survivor of the tragic bus accident near Madinah involving Indian Umrah Pilgrims, who is currently admitted in a hospital in Madinah.
Concerned hospital authorities have informed that best possible medical care is being pic.twitter.com/9IiXNVL76B
Shoaib's family members could not escape.
Shoaib, a resident of Natarajanagar Colony in Jhirrah, Hyderabad, had gone to Saudi Arabia for Umrah along with his parents Abdul Qadir (56) and Gausia Begum (46), his grandfather Mohammad Maulana and four other members of his uncle's family.
His relative, Tahseen, said, "Four other people from his area had stayed in Mecca. Immediately after the accident, Shoaib called one of them and told him about the accident." He added that Shoaib was injured after jumping from the bus and is currently hospitalized in a German hospital in Medina.
The pilgrims were going to Medina after completing the rituals in Mecca.
The pilgrims had completed their Umrah rituals in Mecca and were traveling by bus to Medina when the accident occurred. All the deceased were from Hyderabad.
Relatives of the pilgrims rushed to the Haj House to inquire about the well-being of their relatives aboard the bus. Some, with hope, rushed to the offices of travel operators and officials. However, except for Shoaib, no Indian passenger survived.