Lankan pilgrim's body found in Mecca

The body of the Sri Lankan pilgrim who went missing along with his wife following the stampede in Mecca in Saudi Arabia on September 24 has been identified by a relative of his at the mortuary in Mecca, Muslim Religious Affairs Minister Abdul Haleem said yesterday.

Minister Haleem said a couple from Colombo, 56 year-old Abubakar Abdul Aziz and 55 year-old Roshan Hara Abdul Aziz, who were on Hajj pilgrimage had gone missing since the stampede and that search operations were underway to locate his wife who was still missing.

More than 717 pilgrims were killed in a stampede outside the Muslim Holy City of Mecca on September 24.