Saudi to compensate Pakistani pilgrims: Kazmi

Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Hamid Saeed Kazmi has said that the Saudi ministry of Hajj agreed to compensate the Pakistani pilgrims who remained deprived of residences at Mina.

The affectees would be given compensation of 250 riyals each. Talking to media after holding a meeting with Saudi Minister for Hajj Fawadul Farsi, Kazmi said that the Saudi government would give the money within two days.

Kazmi would return to Pakistan on Nov 25.

9 Hajj Swine Flu Cases so far: Saudi Minister

RIYADH: 9 Hajj Swine Flu Cases so far: Saudi Minister, Nine people out of more than half a million who have arrived for the annual hajj pilgrimage have been diagnosed with swine flu, Saudi Health Minister Dr Abdullah al-Rabeeah said on Wednesday.

‘The situation from the point of health, we are very happy. Out of the 600,000 arriving so far, we have only seen nine suspected cases of A(H1N1), and only two of those are in the hospital.

‘The rest were treated and they were discharged,’ he said.

Rabeeah said that altogether 70 people had died in the kingdom this year from swine flu, none of them pilgrims.

The fatalities figure is up from 62 reported at the beginning of November, and the total number of proven cases is about 7,000, the minister said.

Concern has mounted about the possibility of a major outbreak of the disease during the hajj, when more than three million Muslims converge on the holy cities of Mecca and Medina in western Saudi Arabia in the second half of November.

The Riyadh government has deployed about 20,000 health workers to deal with flu and other health emergencies among pilgrims, Rabeeah said.

More than 6,000 deaths from A(H1N1) flu had been reported worldwide as of November 1, according to the World Health Organisation.

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9 Hajj Swine Flu Cases so far: Saudi Minister was first posted on November 11, 2009 at 9:52 pm.