AlQa'dah 24, 1434, Sep 30, 2013, SPA -- The Kenyan Red Cross on Monday said 39 people are still officially listed as missing following the massacre at Nairobi's Westgate mall, according to dpa. The four-day siege at the mall was declared over last Tuesday and since then forensic teams, including experts sent from Western nations, are combing through the mall looking for evidence and leads. Some areas of the four-storey building collapsed entirely and have been reduced to rubble. The government has said some bodies may be underneath. "Tracing desks still (have) 39 open files on enquiries of missing persons from members of the public," the Red Cross said in a status report. Last week, the number was above 60. The emergency agency noted that its search and rescue teams have not been allowed into the building since the siege ended. The government has announced the arrest of 12 people in connection with the attack on the mall, but at least three have been released. At least 72 people died during the assault on the shopping centre claimed by Somali extremist militia al-Shabaab, including five gunmen, according to the Kenyan government. Kenya's parliament has sent a committee to visit the mall and lawmakers are set to open investigations into how exactly the al-Qaeda linked militants, suspected to be nationals of several countries, managed to stage the attack. Local media in Kenya has reported on intelligence warnings that were ignored by authorities. The government has admitted it is investigating reports that the attackers had rented a shop in the upmarket mall well in advance of the attack. There have also been allegations of looting by security forces as they took over the building and during the forensic investigations.
