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Pinoy Abroad

DFA exec: Only 3 of 65 Pinoys in Saudi road mishap remain hospitalized


Only three of the 65 Filipinos who figured in a road accident on their way on Sunday to a Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia remain in the hospital, Department of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Raul Hernandez said. In a text message to GMA News Online on Thursday, Hernandez said the three Filipinos who are still in the hospital were those taken to the intensive care unit (ICU). He also explained that 18 of the 65 Filipinos were injured in the accident while the rest were unhurt. “Most of the Filipino pilgrims who were lightly injured in the bus accident have already been discharged from the hospital," Hernandez said, citing an update from the Philippine Consulate in Jeddah. Hernandez said “those who suffered the slight cuts or bruises" were treated by the medical team of the National Commission for Muslim Filipinos and the mobile medical teams of the Saudi Civil Defense. They were promptly discharged. Meanwhile, six others had to be taken to the hospital “for more extensive treatment," three of them taken to the ICU. Last Nov. 6, the DFA received a call from the consulate in Jeddah, informing them that 65 Filipinos were aboard a bus that met an accident on their way to Arafat, where they were supposed to perform the Hajj.
For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV 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. - Rose-An Jessica Dioquino, VVP, GMA News

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