‘He used to call home every night’

At least four Keralites are confirmed to have been among the victims of the Haj stampede tragedy in Saudi Arabia. Among them are Iyattil Moideen Kutty (65), a construction contractor, and his wife Ummel Umma of Pattambi in Palakkad. Kutty’s kin say that he used to call home every night without fail after he reached Saudi Arabia.

When he didn’t call last night, his relatives contacted his nephew Kunhahammed, who is also in Saudi Arabia. It was Kunhahammed who called back with news of the tragedy.

The third victim, Abdulla Koya, was a businessman from Koduvalli in Kozhkode, while the fourth, Sulaiman, from Malappuram, was not a pilgrim but an expatriate worker who apparently got caught in the stampede. Kozhikode district collector Rachna Shah, who also heads the Haj Committee, said the deceased could only be brought home only after formalities were concluded in Saudi Arabia.