A global search is being mounted to recover Mrs. Hannah Pettigrew (wife of Mr. Thomas Pettigrew), Mrs. Ophelia Devine (wife of Mr. Roberto Devine), and Mrs. Calliope Reilly (widow of Mr. Daniel Reilly) after the Ministry of Magic admitted their own employees were to blame for the disappearance.

A Ministry of Magic spokeswizard spoke publicly yesterday, noting that the women were likely caught up in "clerical error" within the Portkey Office and that officials would be investigating the effort fully. Already, he said, teams from throughout the Ministry have been dispatched, and the international community has done similarly.

"This is an inconceivable mistake. I'd campaign to have them fired, except that it would mean that many fewer people looking for my wife," said Mr. Thomas Pettigrew when asked for comment. "It's hard to believe, with how much red tape is involved in procuring portkeys, that no one could have caught this beforehand. This was a failure at every level for their office."

It seems likely that someone will face dismissal: a source in the Department of Magical Transportation notes that each employee is presently under a great deal of scrutiny, with backgrounds and past performances being analyzed heavily for any trace of wrong-doing.

The women were attendees of a function hosted by the Pendergast School of Young Roses (of which Mrs. Evelyn Abercrombie is patroness and primary hostess) that saw a number of notables make their way via portkey to India last week. Reports say Mrs. Abercrombie herself has been calling in favours abroad—no doubt, she feels as though she shoulders some of the blame.

With five days already gone since the women's disappearance, some question whether they will ever be retrieved with their virtue—and their lives—intact.

A fourth woman originally believed to be missing, Miss Gladiola Ferris, was found yesterday to have run off with a married beau and is, one Ministry insider reports, "now her family's problem".