TUNIS, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- Some 10,374 pilgrims have been selected to perform the Hajj in Saudi Arabia during the current Muslim religious season, the Tunisian Minister of Religious Affairs Ahmed Adhoum said.
At a joint press conference with the Minister of Health and the Director General of Tunisiar on Wednesday, Adhoum said that nearly half of the pilgrims are women, or 4,701.
The average age of the pilgrims is 61 years old, and the oldest is 98 years old, said the minister.
The first flight carrying the Tunisian pilgrims to Mecca is scheduled for Thursday, while the last will be for Aug. 26. And the return flights will be from Sept. 6 to 21, 2017.
Sofien Bejaoui, Director General of the Tunisian National Airline Tunisair, announced a reinforcement of two additional aircraft to ensure the total 86 flights.
For the current pilgrimage season, the medical team that will accompany the Tunisian pilgrims has been strengthened to 75 members including 30 doctors and 45 paramedics from 12 specialties, said the Minister of Health Samira Merai.
"Distributed on 67 categories, no less than 3.5 tons of medicines will be sent to Saudi Arabia to serve the Tunisian pilgrims in case of problems or disturbances," said Merai.
A total of 17 hotels will accommodate Tunisian pilgrims, 4 hotels in Mecca and 13 in Medina, the two cities of all the holy places visited by Muslims.
