Tunisian President Kais Saied fires the minister of religious affairs, the presidency says in a statement, after 49 Tunisians were reported to have died so far in this year’s hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.
The president “decided to end the duties of Ibrahim Chaibi, the minister of religious affairs,” the statement posted on Facebook says without giving any further details.
On Tuesday, the Tunisian foreign ministry reported the death of 35 Tunisian pilgrims, but the number has risen to 49 so far, according to Tunisian media.
The ministry didn’t specify whether the deaths were related to high temperatures, adding that most of the dead had travelled to Saudi Arabia with tourist visas and outside of the Saudi government’s official pilgrimage program.
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