No Indonesian among Mecca fire victims<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): No Indonesians have been found among victims of
\nTuesday's fire that ravaged Mina city in Saudi Arabia and killed
\nhundreds of pilgrims, an official said yesterday.<\/p>\n
Sofyan Daud, the head of Indonesian haj affairs in Mecca, said
\nyesterday that he visited the location of the fire, some five
\nkilometers east of the Islamic holy city, to seek information and
\nascertain that no Indonesians were among the victims.<\/p>\n
He said that when the fire broke out, Indonesian pilgrims were
\nstill on their way from the city to the Plain of Arafat to
\nconduct the wuquf (standing), the climax of the arduous haj
\nrites.<\/p>\n
Saudi authorities said most of the victims were pilgrims from
\nIndia, Pakistan and Bangladesh.<\/p>\n
A number of Indonesian haj pilgrims in Mecca said they did not
\nsee the panic and confusion that gripped the pilgrims fleeing the
\nfire. "We heard the news, but we did not see the fire when it
\nhappened," one said.<\/p>\n
Sofyan said that 70,000 tents, erected on a vast area in Mina
\nto shelter pilgrims from the scorching sahara sun, were destroyed
\nin the fire. Some 17,000 tents erected to shelter some 170,000
\nIndonesian pilgrims also went up in smoke.<\/p>\n
The temperature in Mina yesterday was 40 Celsius centigrade.<\/p>\n
Sofyan said Saudi authorities expected to finish erecting new
\nfire-resistant tents and other facilities today.<\/p>\n
Minister of Religious Affairs Tarmizi Taher appealed to the
\nfamilies and relatives of the pilgrims to remain calm.<\/p>\n
"Let's all pray to Allah that the pilgrims can complete their
\nreligious obligation undisturbed," he said.<\/p>\n
Tarmizi said that so far no Indonesian victims had been found.
\nBut several Indonesians using the ordinary green passports,
\nrather than the specially-issued brown haj passports, were still
\nunaccounted for, he said.<\/p>\n
The fire was ignited by exploding canisters of cooking gas.
\nFanned by strong wind, the blaze spread rapidly.<\/p>\n
The fire forced hundreds of thousands of pilgrims to spend the
\nnight without shelter. (12)<\/p>",
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