New Delhi [India], September 18 (ANI): The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday cautioned against "malicious" and "misleading" social media posts concerning the health of world leaders who attended the BRICS Summit in New Delhi, amid unverified claims surrounding Chinese President Xi Jinping and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.

In a post on X, the MEA said, "Misleading! We caution against such malicious posts on social media platforms!"

The ministry's warning came amid a series of social media claims concerning the health of leaders who participated in the BRICS Summit, which was held in New Delhi from September 12 to 13.

Several posts on social media alleged that Chinese President Xi Jinping had fainted during the BRICS Summit and suffered a stroke before being flown back to Beijing for treatment.

The allegations gained attention following reports that Xi did not attend the summit dinner. However, there has been no official confirmation that the Chinese President suffered a stroke or was admitted to a hospital for emergency treatment.

The MEA's remarks also came after the office of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa issued a statement saying that the President had withdrawn from public engagements after returning from India.

"The Presidency wishes to advise that, due to ill health, President Cyril Ramaphosa is currently booked off from public engagements," the South African Presidency said.

Ramaphosa, 73, returned from the BRICS Summit on Monday and was advised by doctors to rest and recover, according to the statement."Where possible, the President has asked the respective Ministers to represent him at scheduled public engagements," it added.The BRICS Summit brought together leaders of the expanded 11-member grouping in New Delhi under India's chairship. The summit was held under the theme "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability."India's hosting of the summit came as the grouping continued to expand and address issues across economic cooperation, development, technology and global governance. The summit also sought to build consensus among its increasingly diverse membership. (ANI)