RIYADH: Saudi authorities, the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Riyadh and the Philippine Embassy are investigating the case of a Filipino maid who died last Thursday at King Salman Hospital.
There are reports that Irma Avila Edloy, 35, died of heart attack. There have also been claims that she was raped.
An investigation is needed as a matter of procedure to establish the cause of death, according to the embassy. It is also needed to complete formalities for the body’s repatriation to her family in the Philippines.
A local report said that Edloy suffered a heart attack upon seeing her sponsor. However, officials said that this was not enough to establish the allegation that she had been raped.
The Philippine government said that Edloy’s family would receive 200,000 pesos in assistance from the Overseas Workers Administration and other benefits. A Philippine delegation visited Edloy while she was alive.
Iric Arribas, charge d’affaires at the embassy, said it was also being investigated if Edloy had been ill prior to her job in the Middle East on July 28 by Rejoice Employment International Corporation, with its principal employer Al-Sayyar Recruitment in Riyadh.