RI haj pilgrim lost in Mecca

RI haj pilgrim lost in Mecca

SURABAYA, East Java: A haj pilgrim from the 37th flight group originating from the East Java capital Surabaya has not yet returned and is still missing in Mecca after his group returned to Indonesia on Feb. 28, an official said on Friday.

Sixty-three-year-old Suharman Bin M. Saet was reported missing several times while his group was still in Saudi Arabia.

The first time Suharman got lost was in Madinah. He disappeared again in Mecca, said the secretary of Surabaya's haj departure agency, Syaiful Islam.

"Actually, he got lost twice in Mecca but officials there were able to find him," he said. "Only, the last time, they took him to the hospital from where he again disappeared. He also left his identity bracelet at the hospital, so officials now have a hard time finding him."

Suharman, said Syaiful, was probably senile. He was about to retire from his teaching post at one of the institutions of higher learning in Surabaya.

Moreover, with only five officials overseeing 450 haj pilgrims it was hard to keep an eye on everybody, added Syaiful. -- Antara