Hyderabad: The lone survivor of the Madina bus tragedy, Mohammad Ahmed Shoaib, arrived in Hyderabad on Tuesday, carrying memories of the tragedy on November 16, the loss of his parents and grandfather and his escape from the raging inferno that consumed everything on board.
Shoaib’s brother Sameer’s and his family have also returned to the city. They had stayed back at Mecca and were not on the ill-fated bus.
Shoaib is recuperating from burns at his home in Natrajnagar in Jhirra. He gave an account of the impact of the bus-tanker collision to Deccan Chronicle. He recalled how the quick thinking of the driver helped him escape the blaze, but swallowed the driver himself.
“After we left Badr, just before the checkpost, one of the passengers wanted to use the washroom. So the driver stopped the vehicle to help the passenger. As the driver was about to sit in his seat, the tanker hit from behind, triggering a blast and fire engulfing the bus within no time. The driver broke open the window and I jumped out to escape. Unfortunately, the driver was swallowed by the flames, and I was able to dodge them and rushed towards the check post, which was a few metres away,” recollected Shoaib.
The pilgrim, who was one among 46 whose bus was about to arrive at Madina (after departing from Mecca), regained consciousness only about 15 minutes after the collision, as he walked along the road until he reached the check post.
“I continued without stopping with my injured body and burnt soles and feet for about 15 to 20 minutes. There was none to help. By the time I reached the nearby check post, the cops thought I was the driver of the ill-fated bus. Later, they came to know I was the only surviving passenger. A driver from Nizamabad who witnessed the incident helped me translate to the authorities in Arabic. He also helped reach out to my brother who had stayed back in Mecca during the pilgrimage. As the burning sensation intensified, I cried in pain and requested the authorities to take me to a hospital, but it took about an hour before I was admitted,” Shoaib added.
Shoaib expressed his gratitude to Saudi Arabian and Indian authorities for helping him through the ordeal. “Only because of the top-class services at Saudi German Hospital I am recuperating from the injuries. I hope the authorities here help me get similar treatment,” he said.
On Tuesday, minority welfare secretary B. Shafiullah enquired about his health and assured support to continue his treatment in Hyderabad. “As my brother may not be able to continue his profession as a technician in interior design work owing to the injuries, we request the government to provide him a government job,” urged Shoaib’s brother, Md. Sameer.
