RIYADH: A medical team of the nearly 8,000 Filipino pilgrims confirmed on Saturday that several Filipino pilgrims were victims of viral infection and not the stampede in Mina.

Responding to an Arab News text message sent to some pilgrims at the Haj site in Mina, Saleh Cadalay from Lanao Del Sur said he and his group members were fine.

“I visited the crash site in Mina and still could not believe such incident would happened amid well organized smooth flow of the pilgrimages,” he said.

At least one local Filipino pilgrim died in the Mina stampede, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). Every year a large number of Filipinos working in Saudi Arabia perform Haj with local pilgrims.

The Philippine Consulate in Jeddah confirmed the reported death of the OFW pilgrim during the Mina stampede. However, it withheld the victim’s identity following a request of the family.

According to the head of the medical team of the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF), Dr. Abdulnasser Masorong Jr., six to seven Filipinos fell victim to infectious diseases, including cirrhosis of the liver, liver cancer and acute pneumonia.

“One of those victims died of heart attack while traveling from the Philippines to Saudi Arabia by air,” a report said.

Writing on his post, Mehol K. Sadain, former NCMF head, said that among those who died are Jadir Sali, a retired policeman from Tawi Tawi under Sheikh Sabuddin Abdurahim who expired one day before the Day of Arafah, while another victim, Amman Hayudini from Patikul, Sulu, was performing Haj under the guidance of Sheikh Mufti Jul Asiri Abirin, according to Sheikh Hadji Nijar.

He said a third Filipino pilgrim was said to have perished in the stampede. The identified victim is said to have joined the Haj group from the Kingdom and was not part of the Philippine contingent.

He was buried in Makkah according to the medical team head. He fell victim to the killer Middle East Respiratory Syndrome-cornavirus (MERS-Cov).