Emergencies
Tunisia fires minister after Mecca pilgrimage tragedy
Muslim pilgrims circumambulate the Kaaba, Islam’s holiest shrine, in the Grand Mosque during the Hajj. Photo
© Saudi Press Agency/dpa
According to official figures, over 400 people have died during the Muslim Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia. Many of them due to the extreme heat. Tunisia is taking initial action.
After the Muslim pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia After dozens of Tunisian pilgrims died due to extreme heat, Tunisia’s President Kais Saied has dismissed his Minister for Religious Affairs, Brahim Shaibi. This was announced by the President’s Office.
The move came after Shaibi had confirmed the deaths of 49 Tunisian pilgrims, which drew criticism. According to the state news agency TAP, Shaibi himself admitted to “negligence in supervising the pilgrims.” The majority of the victims had entered Saudi Arabia on a tourist visa and were not registered as pilgrims.
In Egypt, the withdrawal of licenses from 16 tour operators was ordered, as the state-run TV station Al-Kahira News reported. They are said to have illegally organized trips to Saudi Arabia for unregistered pilgrims. Criminal investigations are being launched against those responsible.
Death toll could rise
The total number of people who died during the pilgrimage has not yet been officially announced. Saudi Arabia has not yet made any public statement on the matter. Several countries have reported that some of their citizens had died during the Muslim pilgrimage in Mecca. According to official figures from various countries, the number of deaths is over 400. The number is expected to continue to rise.
According to the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Indonesia had counted 225 dead pilgrims by Saturday. According to the information, most of the deaths were not due to heat. India reported the deaths of 98 citizens. The Jordanian Foreign Ministry said that at least 75 Jordanian pilgrims had died as a result of the extreme temperatures. Iranian authorities reported that 11 Iranians were among the dead.
The Malaysian news agency Bernama reported that 14 pilgrims from Malaysia had died. According to official figures, three people from Senegal died in Mecca. The Pakistani authorities reported the deaths of 35 of their citizens, mostly as a result of the extreme temperatures. Media also reported that over 300 Egyptians had also died during the pilgrimage due to the extreme temperatures. There have been no official figures from Cairo on the number of Egyptians who have died.
Various Arab governments have reported that it is difficult to determine the actual number of deaths because the majority of the deceased pilgrims were not officially registered. Officially, pilgrims must apply for a special visa to perform the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia. However, many of the pilgrims are said to have entered the country on tourist visas. Unregistered pilgrims generally do not have access to the accommodation and transport services provided for pilgrims.
Around 1.8 million pilgrims took part in the pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia this year, which is one of the five basic duties of Islam. The pilgrimage began in Mecca last Friday in scorching heat. It ended on Tuesday. At the sites in the area that are holy to Muslims, temperatures reached around 50 degrees Celsius.