15 Pinoy pilgrims hurt in Saudi Arabia road crash

At least 15 Filipino pilgrims on their way to Arafat to perform the Hajj were injured, one of them seriously, after figuring in a road accident Saturday. Saudi health minister Abdullah Al-Rabeeah ordered immediate assistance to 11 of the 15 in performing the Hajj, news site Arab News reported. Deputy General Director of Health Affairs in Makkah Region Dr. Husein Ghannam said the 15 pilgrims from the Philippines were admitted to Mina Al-Wadi Hospital and Hira Hospital in Mina after their car overturned early Saturday morning. “Assisting sick pilgrims to perform Hajj is a tradition practiced by the Ministry of Health for many years. It is in line with the teachings of our religion, as long as it does not pose any harm or threat to the condition of the patient. They were carefully assessed before they are taken to Arafat," Arab News quoted a ministry spokesman as saying. Of the 15, 11 were taken to Mina Al-Wadi Hospital by Saudi Red Crescent ambulances, while four, one of them in critical condition, were moved by helicopter. Authorities will assist 404 sick and injured pilgrims in performing the Hajj. The sick and injured pilgrims were transported in a fleet of specially-equipped ambulances under the care of highly trained medical staff. Also, the ministry ensures that the ambulances have adequate quantities of medical supplies. “These pilgrims spent a lot of their resources to come to the holy sites with the hope of fulfilling a lifetime dream by performing the pilgrimage, but for some reason or the other, they fell sick. So, it is our duty to help them to achieve that dream," said the spokesman. Standing in Arafat on the ninth day of Dul Hijjah is the most important ritual of Hajj. To make the Hajj valid, every pilgrim needs to spend at least a few moments in prayers at Arafat on this day. — LBG, GMA News