By a staff reporter-Khaliij Times ,31st March 2002
Dubai,United Arab Emirates.

MONITORING the X-ray machine while scanning passengers' baggage is a routine job for police personnel at Dubai Airport.

However on Thursday what appeared on the screen was not the usual baggage; policemen on duty were horrified when the screen projected a human skeleton and skull.

They immediately shut down the machine and rushed to find out what was wrong. What they saw was beyond their imagination - a man stuck inside the machine amid a row of suitcases.

According to airport sources, personnel on duty in the departures lounge took the man out of the machine and rushed him to the airport clinic where he was thoroughly examined for any adverse effect of the incident.

After it was ascertained that the man had not been harmed by the machine, police started investigating the matter and interrogated the Somali national, identified as Artine. W., who was transiting Dubai on his way to Qatar.

The man claimed that he had entered the machine thinking that all passengers had to go through a security check with their luggage before boarding the plane.

He said that he did not know that the X-ray machine was only for the baggage, nor did he know that he had to pass through a security gate after putting his luggage on the X-ray machine's belt.

The airport source said that the policeman on duty at the security gate was busy with another passenger and did not notice the Somali passenger lying on the X-ray belt.

The source added that after making sure that the passenger was in good health, he was sent by a later flight to Qatar the same night.