India, Nov. 17 -- At least 42 people were charred to death after a bus carrying Umrah pilgrims collided with a diesel tanker near Madinah, according to local media in Saudi Arabia on Monday. The victims are believed to be Indian nationals, with several reportedly from Hyderabad.

Preliminary inputs indicate that at least 16 of those killed in the Saudi bus mishap were Hyderabad residents, Telangana information technology minister D Sridhar Babu said. He added that they were all reportedly from the Bazarghat area of Mallepalli, and officials are still verifying the identities of the deceased.

According to initial reports received by the state government, the accident took place around 1.30 am IST in Mufrihat, roughly 160 km from Madinah. ...