MAKKAH, 30 June 2006 — Over 10,000 people get lost in and around the Grand Mosque in Makkah every year, according to official statistics released by the Missing Persons Office at the mosque.
Sources at the office say that the vast majority of people who get lost are usually foreign pilgrims; missing Saudis are generally small in number and usually come from areas outside Makkah.
Omar Al-Zahrani, an official at the Missing Persons Office, said, “There are efforts to open two more offices around the Grand Mosque which will be managed by security guards. We are currently looking for an appropriate wider space for this.” Al-Zahrani added that the number of people getting lost dramatically increases during the Ramadan and Haj seasons and that most cases are reported between Asr and Isha prayers. He added that 50 percent of the missing people are children followed by women and old men.
The official said people go missing when they are separated from their families by large groups of people from single countries who tightly walk together.
Al-Zahrani added that women usually get lost because stewards move many of them on to places designated for women. These women get separated from their families and end up losing their way.
Al-Zahrani said, “Most cases that occur in the Grand Mosque tend to happen on the ground floor level. Very few people get lost outside in the courtyards.”
“When somebody gets lost, we immediately take his or her name, nationality and a detailed description of the person’s face and clothing and pass the information onto officials inside the Grand Mosque via walkie-talkies,” he added.
Al-Zahrani said that the Missing Persons Office works in coordination with security guards and police officers at the Grand Mosque who work round the clock.
“Most cases generally last for a few hours and sometimes may be even an entire day. In rare cases do missing people remain lost for more than one day,” he said. There are two offices for lost people at the Grand Mosque. The one located close to the Umrah Gate is dedicated to lost children and is managed by security guards. The other office is next to the King Abdul Aziz Gate and deals with Umrah and Haj pilgrims and is managed by the Ministry of Haj.
