TUNIS (Reuters) - Tunisian President Kais Saied sacked Brahim Chaibi, the minister of religious affairs, following widespread criticism after the deaths of dozens of Tunisians taking part in the Hajj pilgrimage, the presidency said on Friday.
At least 49 Tunisians have died due to the extreme heat in Saudi Arabia during the past week. Tunisian families are still searching for several missing people.
Earlier, Egypt formed a crisis unit to investigate the deaths of Egyptians taking part in the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca during extreme heat, after medical and security sources said at least 530 Egyptians had died and 31 were missing.
In recent days hundreds of people from different countries have died in punishing conditions for the Hajj pilgrimage in the Saudi Arabian city, where temperatures have at times exceeded 51 degrees Celsius (124 Fahrenheit).
The fifth pillar of Islam, the Hajj is mandatory once in a lifetime for every able-bodied Muslim who can afford it and is the most significant manifestation of Islamic faith and unity.
This year's event, which began last Friday, is expected to draw nearly 2 million pilgrims.
Climate scientists have said rising temperatures pose a growing threat to the event, although heat-related deaths along the Hajj are not new, and have been recorded back to the 1400s.