Passengers given warm welcome

By Hasan Suroor

LONDON, OCT. 16. The British passengers aboard the Saudi Arabian Airlines' flight which had been hijacked to Baghdad arrived here this morning to a warm welcome from friends and relatives. They included a number of British Asians who had gone to Saudi Arabia on pilgrimage.

A large crowd had gathered at Heathrow airport long before the flight which brought the hijack victims was due to arrive. There was a touch of impatience as the passengers were first taken for a `debriefing' before they were allowed to be reunited with their families. Some carried placards thanking Iraqi authorities for the way they handled the crisis.

There were emotional scenes as people hugged each other while the camera crews clicked. Looking relieved, they seemed to have already put the experience of the past two days behind them though experts said it would take them sometime to get over the trauma. Almost every passenger made the

point that the Iraqis and the Saudi airlines' treated them very well.

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Section  : International
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