Saturday, January 14 2006 15:08 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Dubai: Thirty-nine of the 44 Indians killed in the stampede during the symbolic stoning ritual on the final day of the Haj on Thursday in the Saudi holy city of Mina, have been identified.

Bodies of 39 Indian victims have been identified, Indian Consul General in Saudi Arabia Ausaf Sayeed told sources over phone from Mina today (Jan 14,2006).

He said that the identification process was still on and feared that there could be more casualties among Indians who were not pilgrims but working with various Saudi agencies.

Earlier reports quoting Saudi Interior Ministry said that 44 Indians were among 364 people killed in the stampede.

Besides 44 Indians, Interior Ministry spokesman Maj Gen Mansour Al-Turki said the dead included 37 Pakistanis, 18 Saudis, 12 Bangladeshis, 10 Egyptians, seven Yemenis, six each from Sudan, Maldives and Turkey, five each from Algeria and Afghanistan, four Moroccans, three Iraqis, two each from Oman, Iran, Syria and China, and one each from Jordan, Ethiopia, Germany, Chad, Belgium, Palestine, Ghana, Turkistan and Nigeria.

Saudi authorities identified 203 dead pilgrims through their bracelets and with the help of their relatives. They included 118 men and 85 women.

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Sultan said the incident was caused by Haj pilgrims carrying a lot of baggage while going to perform the stoning ritual.

He expressed his deep sorrow over the casualties caused by the tragedy and conveyed the government's condolences to the bereaved families.

"What happened was that more than 12 people carrying a large quantity of baggage on their back fell on the ground one on top of the other as a result of overcrowding," he said.

Meanwhile, stricken families were hunting for their loved ones yesterday at hospitals in Makkah and Mina.