Hassan charity awaits news on 'body find'

Last updated at 08:37 15 November 2004


Colleagues of kidnapped British aid worker Margaret Hassan said they cannot yet rule out the possibility that a mutilated body of a Western woman found in Fallujah is the captured humanitarian.

US Marines discovered the corpse yesterday as they scoured the battle-scarred town for militants.

Mrs Hassan, 59, director of Care International in Iraq, was abducted on October 19 and is one of only two Western women being held hostage.

The other, Teresa Borcz Khalifa, 54, a Polish-

born resident of Iraq, was seized last month.

Reports claim that the body of the woman had blonde hair, unlike brunette Mrs Hassan.

But Care International said today that it is

waiting for conclusive details from Iraqi authorities about the discovery.

Spokeswoman Jessica Walker said: "We haven't heard anything as yet and are still trying to establish the facts.

"This is a very sensitive issue and we haven't heard any more about Margaret's status since the release of a video recording earlier this month."

After the recorded message was broadcast, the charity called for the immediate release of Mrs Hassan, who was lived and worked in Iraq for around 30 years.

A Foreign Office spokesman said it has yet to confirm the reports that a body has been discovered.

He said: "We take all of these reports seriously and are urgently looking into ascertaining the facts."

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