Stranded Pinoy Muslim hajj pilgrims rushed to hospital
SOME Filipino Muslim hajj pilgrims stranded in Muzdalifah near Mecca in Saudi Arabia were rushed to a hospital for medical care, the Philippine Embassy in Saudi Arabia said.
Ten Filipino pilgrims were brought to a hospital for medical care and were immediately discharged after treatment.
Philippine Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Rommel Romato said none of the hospitalized hajj pilgrims needed serious medical attention, thus allowing them to be discharged immediately.
“All the pilgrims who were endorsed to the hospitals have been discharged from the hospital and have returned to their tents in Mina,” he said.
About 200 Filipino pilgrims were also given aid after they were stranded following the Fajr prayer on the morning of June 28, the Philippine Embassy in Saudi Arabia said Thursday.
Citing the NCMF, Romato said the delay was due to the heavy traffic in Muzdalifah.
Traffic police had to control the movements of around 1,000 buses going around the mashaer area (holy sites) catering to all pilgrims of various nationalities, he added.
The embassy also deployed a team to assist and was able to locate and rescue some Filipino pilgrims who were lost in the Mina area, a large tent city where Muslims cast stones at pillars in a symbolic act meant to represent casting away sins.
“The Philippine Mission in Saudi Arabia, composed of the Embassy in Riyadh, Consulate and Office of the Hajj Attaché in Jeddah, were able to assist in the coordination of transport and emergency vehicles for the Filipino pilgrims as well as provided the pilgrims with food and water,” Romato said.
Muzdalifah is a holy site where pilgrims spend the night in before heading for Mina after the Fajr or dawn prayer.
This year, the Embassy said there are more than 7,200 Filipinos performing the Hajj in Saudi Arabia.
Hajj is the annual sacred pilgrimage of Muslims at the holy mosque called Masjid al-Haram in Mecca.
