(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Tunis:Tunisia's health minister died of a heart attack on Sunday after taking part in a charity marathon to help battle cancer, officials said.
Slim Chaker, 56, fell ill after running some 500 metres (yards) and then making a speech at the start of a race in the coastal town of Nabeul aimed at raising funds to build a clinic for children with cancer, his ministry said.
He died later at a military hospital in Tunis.
"I have lost a brother and a colleague," Prime Minister Youssef Chahed wrote on Facebook.
"He died doing a noble humanitarian act."
Local media and internet users in the North African country reacted with sorrow to the passing of Chaker, a former adviser to President Beji Caid Essebsi who only took over the health brief last month.
"He has paid in blood for his patriotic work," Tunisian magazine Leader wrote on Twitter.
MENAFN0810201700630000ID1095931385
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.