JEDDAH, 21 May 2006 — With the latest discovery of two more bodies in the sand-and-rock stretch in the Khulaij region, people in Ranyah have been further mystified about the cause of the deaths.
A passing-by civil defense officer found the bodies in a decomposed state. Police are investigating with the help of experts from Taif.
The bodies will be taken to Taif for DNA tests to establish their identity. The bodies were found partly covered in the sand in almost identical circumstances. The complexion and clothes of the victims suggest that they were of African origin, Al-Watan newspaper reported yesterday. Some of the bodies found in the area earlier were believed to be of African nationalities.
Locals with exhaustive knowledge of the desert dismiss the theory that the victims are wandering travelers unfamiliar with the deceptive desert topography.
Muhammad Al-Subaie, 90, said he never heard in his life about these many bodies discovered in such short intervals. He did not deny that dead bodies were found in the past but their number was very few — not more than one or two.
With the number of dead bodies recovered from the area in recent months having reached 41, police fear more bodies will be found as shepherds will flock to the green pastures emerging in the area in the wake of recent rains.
Muhammad Al-Farraj, resident, talked about how his children discovered a decomposed body while playing at the foot of a mountain.
“My kids told me about a human skeleton found between the mountains. When I went there I saw the body of a man covered with a sheet. He might have died while asleep and it might have happened last winter. I notified police who arrived and took care of the body, Al-Farraj said.
Initially police suspected that the bodies might be of illegal immigrants who got lost when traveling through remote areas unobserved by immigration authorities. Since the area has agriculture farms, undocumented migrants are likely to be attracted to the region looking for jobs. Locals in this remote region occasionally come across bodies of wanderers that get lost in the desert. Police and local residents suspect foul play.
Another man said his brother found two bodies that seemed to be of African descent while he was looking for his missing camels.
Abdul Kader Muhammad, a Bangladeshi worker in the province said that many people are afraid to leave their homes after the news of bodies in the desert particularly after nightfall. They do not trust strangers any more and do not take free rides with people they do not know.
People in Ranyah believe that criminal activity is behind the deaths of most of these people and have urged police to get to the bottom of the mystery.
