280 Indians missing in haj fire

To identify the dead, they are identifying the living first.

On Monday, after a head count of Indian pilgrims in Mecca, over 280 Indians were officially stated missing in last Tuesday's fire which killed at least 343 haj pilgrims in Mina, Saudi Arabia.

''The fact these people are missing does not necessarily mean they are all dead," Indian external affairs ministry spokesman Talmiz Ahmed told newsmen at Jeddah, "Some of them could have been lost or gone to visit other centres. Many of them could turn up safe in the next few days."

Ahmed said as many as 179 people in the list were staying in camp 59, which had borne the brunt of the fire. A fewer number of pilgrims are missing from the other fire-ravaged camps.

The head count began in Mecca on Saturday night after the 1.74 million pilgrims from around the world started returning after haj rituals."The survey continued throughout Sunday and all of last night. We have now more or less completed the task,'' Ahmed said.

The majority of the bodies are charred beyond recognition, making it difficult for the authorities to even establish the victims's nationalities. The only way Indian officials could identify their countrymen was by identifying the living.

Now, the officials are doing a survey of the 650 buildings where the Indian pilgrims were put up. They would concenterate on camps 59 and 60. Over 5,000 people were staying at camp 59 alone, Ahmed said.

The Saudi officials said they would make use of genetic methods, including studies of blood, skin samples and teeth, for identification purposes.

More than half of the 343 people killed in the blaze were feared to be Indians but it is only now, six days after the event, that Indian officials are close to putting a number on casualties.

More than 1,580 people, including some 450 Indians, have been injured in the blaze. While 202 Indians are still undergoing medical treatment in various hospitals in Mecca, a 252 have been discharged.

Ahmed said the Indian mission was planning a special flight on April 24 to carry injured Indian pilgrims back.

As of Sunday night, only 22 of the Indians killed in the tragedy have been identified, Indian Ambassador Mohammed Hamid Ansari said. He said the bodies would be buried by the Saudi authorities after completing the necessary formalities.

About 81,000 Indians came to Saudi for the haj this year. Of this 54,000 came through the Central Haj Committee, and the rest on their own.

A report from Pakistan said 39 Pakistani pilgrims have been identified, while the Sri Lankan embassy said three of its citizens died in the stampede that followed the fire.

The pilgrims, meanwhile, have started flying out from the kingdom. The entire process is expected to take about a month, as many of them, especially those from neighbouring countries, are returning home by land or sea.

The pilgrims belong to about 120 nationalities and had arrived on more than 4000 flights. At its peak, there were 200 to 250 flights landing every day.

The highest number -- around 200,000 -- came from Indonesia, the country with the largest Muslim population. Garuda, the Indonesian airline, will be operating about 940 flights to carry them home.

In all, Air India will operate about 120 flights till May 21 to clear the 54,000 pilgrims who came through the Central Haj Committee.

The 125,000 Pakistani pilgrims will be flown home by Pakistan International Airlines's 300 and Saudi Arabian Airlines's 27 flights.

During the coming week, Saudia is expected to transport over 300,000 pilgrims to more than 60 destinations. Arrangements have now been made at Jeddah's King Abdulaziz International airport for additional departure facilities.