The number of deaths among Tunisian pilgrims in Mecca remains stable at 35, said General Health Coordinator Hamadi Soussi.
Thirteen Tunisian pilgrims are currently hospitalised in Saudi facilities and their condition is being monitored daily by the Tunisian health mission as it is case for the rest of the pilgrims – be they holders of pilgrim or tourist visas.
“The 35 pilgrims who died in Mecca include 5 pilgrims under the lottery system and 30 who travelled to Saudi Arabia on tourist visa, ”’ Soussi told TAP. The Tunisian mission is not aware of their number or their whereabouts, he added.
The health mission is monitoring the condition of all hospitalised Tunisian pilgrims on a daily basis and is not excluding any, he said. It is also helping Saudi medical teams diagnose, screen, treat and operate on the 13 pilgrims currently hospitalised in Saudi facilities, namely 3 pilgrims as part of the hajj lottery and a further 10 with tourist visas, he added.
The health mission, which covers various emergency sp
ecialties, is continuing to monitor with Saudi health authorities the situation of hospitalised Tunisians in Mecca, especially following the transfer of patients from hospitals set up in Mina for the Hajj.
The health mission was able to closely monitor the health condition of the pilgrims and the accommodation and food required and prescribe medicines for patients on a daily basis, in coordination with the mission of the Religious Affairs Ministry and the Hajj service provider which visit all pilgrims daily and report any cases requiring healthcare.
It managed to secure the transport of all Tunisian pilgrims to Arafat “under good conditions”; three first-aid centres have been set up, he further said.
“However, fatigue after performing the pilgrimage’s greatest ritual- the ascend of Mount Arafat -overcrowding, high temperatures which hit 52°C and some pilmgrims seeking relentlessly to walk to Muzdalifah, led to deaths, fatigue, fainting and physical exhaustion,” he said.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Press
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