Tunisian President Kais Saied on Friday (21 June) sacked his religious affairs minister, Ibrahim Chaibi, after 49 Tunisians citizens died during the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. The minister was allegedly negligent in his supervision of the pilgrims.
Most of the Tunisians who died had travelled to Saudi Arabia as tourists, not pilgrims. As such, they did not have access to special facilities such as refrigerated waiting rooms. Saudi Arabia has been extremely hot during the Hajj, which began last Friday and ended on Wednesday.
According to an AFP count, the total number of deaths during the hajj is more than 1,100. Temperatures have soared to over 50 degrees Celsius in places holy to Muslims. Saudi authorities have denied any responsibility for the deaths. "This happened under difficult weather conditions and extreme circumstances," a Saudi official told AFP.
