Riyadh: Operations were still underway on Thursday to rescue flood victims in Jeddah as Dr. Sami Badwood, director of health affairs in Jeddah, announced a state of emergency.
The Saudi Civil Defense Department announced Thursday that four people were killed and about 1331 others were rescued after heavy rains inundated the city. Search operations are continuing to locate a missing child who fell into a tunnel at the intersection of Hira and Prince Majed streets. Nineteen civil defense helicopters were deployed in several hard hit areas.
Speaking from Morocco, King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz urged authorities in charge to take immediate action and said any negligence would be severely punished. Director of Civil Defense, General Sa’ad Al Tuwaijri said in a press statement that Jeddah would be divided into several areas and defense teams have been deployed for rescue operations.
Accommodations for families affected by heavy rains and floods have been provided, said Al Tuwaijri.
Shopping centres and restaurants in Jeddah were closed as helicopters could be seen throughout the city hovering over affected areas. Efforts to pump out the water have been very slow so far. Rain was expected Thursday for another 24 hours.
