Forty-five people, mostly Indian pilgrims, died in a bus crash near the holy city of Medina, one of the deadliest in Saudi Arabia in years, Indian police announced Monday.

"The tragic bus crash involving Indian pilgrims in Saudi Arabia is devastating," said VC Sajjanar, police commissioner of Hyderabad, the central Indian city from which many of the victims are believed to have originated.

During a press briefing, he indicated that "according to initial reports, 46 people were on the bus and unfortunately only one person survived."

Saudi authorities have not yet released any figures or commented on the accident.

Earlier on Monday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered his condolences to the families of the victims, stating that the Indian embassy was cooperating with Saudi authorities on the ground.

"I am deeply saddened by the accident in Medina involving Indian nationals. My thoughts are with the families who have lost loved ones," Mr. Modi wrote on the social network X.

"I pray for the speedy recovery of all those injured. Our embassy in Riyadh and our consulate in Jeddah are providing all possible assistance," he added.

Road traffic accidents are among the leading causes of injury and death in Saudi Arabia, the UN stated in 2023.

Several fatal accidents have already occurred involving pilgrims on their way to the holy sites of the kingdom, which is home to Islam's holiest shrines in Mecca and Medina, particularly during the Hajj, the major annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, or the Umrah, the lesser pilgrimage which takes place at other times of the year.

In March 2023, a bus carrying pilgrims to Mecca caught fire after a collision on a bridge, killing 20 people and injuring more than 20 others.

In October 2019, some 35 foreigners were killed and four injured when a bus collided with another heavy vehicle near Medina.

Welcoming Muslim pilgrims is a key element of Saudi Arabia's booming tourism sector, which officials hope will help diversify the kingdom's economy and make it less dependent on hydrocarbons.

Saudi Arabia and India have maintained close relations for decades. India's booming economy is heavily dependent on oil imports, with Saudi Arabia being its third-largest supplier, according to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs.

The Gulf kingdom also hosts more than two million Indian nationals, contributing in particular to the construction of numerous megaprojects in the country while sending billions of dollars to their country of origin each year.