Manama: Saudi Arabian authorities said that 13 people were killed by floods in towns and villages throughout the kingdom, caused by bad weather conditions.
At least four more people are missing, the civil defence said in a statement carried by the local media on Wednesday.
Four were killed in Taif, three in Al Baha, three in Al Aflaj, two in Al Kharj and one in Al Hareeq, the statement said.
The downpour has brought life to a standstill in several areas, especially in the northern part of the Gulf. Schools and colleges were shut and the authorities have been urging all residents to exercise the highest levels of caution.
“We urge everyone, Saudi nationals and expatriates, to be extremely careful and vigilant and to follow the instructions and guidelines that we issue,” Abdullah Bin Thabet Al Harthi, the spokesperson for the civil defence, said. “People should not underestimate the dangers and risks to which they could be exposed as a result of the heavy rains and floods,” he said.
The picture of two Saudi men clinging tightly to a tree in the middle of floods as they were waiting for rescue as people were watching helplessly has been widely circulated on the Internet.
