Saudi bus accident: About 50 family members of deceased to leave from Hyderabad
Hyderabad (PTI): About 50 family members of the pilgrims who died in the tragic bus accident in Saudi Arabia will leave from here for the Gulf nation for the funeral, a senior Telangana official said on Tuesday.
The funeral is expected to take place on Thursday, he told PTI.
The Telangana government team, led by Minorities Welfare Minister Mohammad Azharuddin, reached Saudi Arabia to coordinate the relief efforts, including funeral arrangements, he said.
The bodies, burnt beyond recognition, have been preserved. DNA tests would be conducted for the family travelling to Saudi Arabia to finalise death certificates.
"Death certificates would be handed over only if DNA matches," he said.
He pointed out that the Saudi government may also provide compensation to the kin of the deceased, besides the Telangana government and travel compensation.
DNA matching is crucial to follow the legal procedures, he said.
The revenue department of the Telangana government would also have to issue relevant documents to the family members, he said.
The official said a mass funeral is likely to happen.
The bus accident left 42 pilgrims, mostly from Telangana, dead, according to people familiar with the matter. However, Hyderabad Police Commissioner V C Sajjanar on Monday put the death toll at 45.
The Telangana government on Monday decided to conduct the funeral of the deceased as per religious traditions in Saudi Arabia and to provide ex-gratia of Rs five lakh each to the kin of those who died.
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Trump’s fresh threat to bomb Iran amid reports of deal to end war
Washington (PTI): US President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened Iran with more bombing if it doesn't reopen the Strait of Hormuz, amid a report that the warring sides were nearing an agreement to end the war.
US media outlet Axios reported, quoting US officials and two other sources, that the US and Iran were getting close to a one-page memorandum of understanding to end the war and set a framework for more detailed nuclear negotiations.
The US expects Iranian responses on several key points over the next 48 hours, Axios reported, adding that nothing has been agreed yet. This was the closest the parties had been to an agreement since the war began.
"Assuming Iran agrees to give what has been agreed to, which is, perhaps, a big assumption, the already legendary Epic Fury will be at an end, and the highly effective Blockade will allow the Hormuz Strait to be OPEN TO ALL, including Iran," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
"If they don’t agree, the bombing starts, and it will be, sadly, at a much higher level and intensity than it was before," Trump said.
According to Axios, the deal would involve Iran committing to a moratorium on nuclear enrichment, the US agreeing to lift its sanctions and release billions in frozen Iranian funds, and both sides lifting restrictions around transit through the Strait of Hormuz.
It said many of the terms laid out in the memo would be contingent on a final agreement being reached, leaving the possibility of renewed war or an extended limbo in which the hot war has stopped, but nothing is truly resolved.
