TUNIS, June 22 (Xinhua) -- The death toll among Tunisian pilgrims who performed Hajj in Saudi Arabia has risen to 53, Tunisia's state television Wataniya 1 reported.
"Until this Saturday, the number of Tunisian pilgrims who died in holy places in Saudi Arabia while performing the Hajj rituals, increased further from 49 to 53," said the report.
The Tunisian diplomatic mission in Riyadh and the consulate general in Jeddah are currently coordinating to monitor the situation of Tunisian pilgrims who are missing, deceased, or hospitalized in Saudi Arabia, according to the report.
On Friday, Tunisian President Kais Saied sacked Ibrahim Chaibi, the minister of religious affairs, without specifying the reason for the dismissal.
Chaibi headed the official Tunisian delegation to Saudi Arabia during this year's Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The delegation was tasked with supporting and assisting Tunisian pilgrims during the Hajj.
Chaibi attributed the loss of human life to factors including the extreme temperatures surpassing 50 degrees Celsius, a significant presence of elderly pilgrims, and a high number of pilgrims with pre-existing illnesses.
Hajj, a key pillar of Islam, is annually performed in Mecca, by pilgrims from all over the world. The number of pilgrims exceeded 1.8 million this year, according to Saudi authorities. ■