Unclaimed London baggage might be burned

LONDON, April 12 (UPI) -- Thousands of suitcases unclaimed since the opening of Terminal 5 at London Heathrow Airport could be burned if their owners cannot be found, an official said.

Although British Airways has repeatedly denied that is what will happen to the personal belongings, an executive in Milan, Italy, where the 5,000 bags are being sorted, said incineration was an option, the Daily Mail reported Saturday.

"All our BA bags that are untraceable are sent back to BA and then they are destroyed in an incinerator," said Giovanni Tinelli, an executive at Onboard Express, which has a contract to sort lost British Airways bags.

A BA spokesman did acknowledge, however, the bags may be put up for auction after six months or more, the British newspaper said.

In all, an estimated 28,000 bags went missing in Terminal 5's chaotic opening March 27, the newspaper said.