ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Sardar Mohammad Yousaf said on Thursday that the number of Pakistani pilgrims killed in the Mina stampede had reached 89. He said 43 people were still missing.

Addressing a news conference here after his return from Saudi Arabia, the minister said that of the 89 Pakistanis 48 had been identified by Saudi authorities and 41 by their relatives.

Also read: New report puts Mina stampede death toll at 1,260

Sardar Yousaf was accompanied by Minister of State for Religious Affairs Pir Aminul Hasnat, Secretary Sohail Amir and MNA Dr Tariq Fazl Chaudhry.

Sardar Yousaf said that carelessness by pilgrims had contributed to delay in the identification of bodies. “Pilgrims are given ribbons and lockets for their identification in case of emergencies, but majority of them do not wear them.”

He said officials had no idea about the whereabouts of missing pilgrims. Five injured Pakistanis were still in hospitals in Makkah and Jeddah and 42 had been discharged after treatment, he added.

The minister said some of the missing people had possibly moved to their relatives living in Saudi Arabia without informing the Haj mission.

One of the important issues that arose after the Mina tragedy was the lack of connectivity, he said, adding that most of the pilgrims had lost their mobile phone in the stampede and they did not know where to go.

Published in Dawn, October 9th, 2015

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