Tunis: The number of Tunisian pilgrims who have died to date has reached 53, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians Abroad, which said the Tunisian delegation was basing its decision on official data provided by the competent Saudi authorities.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the ministry said the Tunisian Consulate General in Jeddah continues to closely monitor the situation of Tunisian pilgrims in coordination with the Tunisian Embassy in Riyadh, the Tunisian Medical Mission and the Société des services nationaux et des residences.
The consulate is also actively monitoring the situation of Tunisian pilgrims reported missing, dead or hospitalised in Saudi Arabia, as well as the return of pilgrims to their country.
To this end, a number of measures have been taken, in particular
-Direct coordination with the Central Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the situation of Tunisian pilgrims reported missing, dead or hospitalised, and the immediate processi
ng of complaints received.
-Receiving calls on the Consulate General’s landline phone in Jeddah, as well as mobile phone numbers and emails published on the Tunisian Mission’s Facebook page, in order to answer questions and gather information.
-Organising, together with the Tunisian Medical Mission and the Société des services nationaux et des résidences, field visits to Arafat, Mina and Mozdalfa, as well as to mosques and hospitals, in search of missing persons.
Visits to most hospitals in Makkah have identified about 24 Tunisian pilgrims in hospital, according to the same source.
A delegation from the Tunisian consulate general in Jeddah, accompanied by the head of the medical mission, went to Taif on Saturday to look after two Tunisian patients transferred from Makkah.
-Coordination with the Tunisian medical mission and the Société des services nationaux et des résidences to accommodate Tunisian pilgrims in a hotel run by the Tunisian mission in Makkah and provide them with the necessary care.
-The r
eception at the Consulate General in Jeddah of pilgrims who have lost their passports, in order to help them obtain a pass to return home. Twenty-one passes were issued on Saturday, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
-Monitoring the return of pilgrims to Tunisia, with visits to Jeddah airports (North Hall, South Hall and Pilgrims’ Airport) to assist Tunisian pilgrims, especially those who entered Saudi Arabia on tourist visas.
-Following the resumption of government activities in Saudi Arabia on Sunday, June 23, field visits to the main Al-Muaisem morgue in Makkah, the hospitals in Jeddah and the main detention centre in the Al-Shumaisi region.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse