Cairo: An ornamental ceiling collapsed inside a college in Jizan in south-western Saudi Arabia due to heavy rains on Wednesday. There were no casualties.
A video circulating on social media showed the collapse that had panicked female students in the place.
The Jazan University, to which the college is affiliated, said the collapse happened on Wednesday in the ornamental ceiling of a waiting area for female students due to a storm that hit the region.
A spokesman for the university said maintenance teams were handling the damage caused to the ceiling.
The deputy governor of the Jazan Province directed a committee be formed to investigate the incident and present an urgent report.
The Saudi National Centre for Meteorology has forecast medium-to-torrential rains, accompanied by hail showers and dust-laden winds to continue on Thursday in parts of Jizan, Asir and Al Bahah in south-western Saudi Arabia.
As a precaution, Jizan educational authorities suspended classes in all schools on Thursday, citing safety concerns and ordered a shift to online learning via a government schooling platform.
The Saudi civil defence authorities have called for exercising vigilance and caution as well as keeping distance from flooding sites, swamps and wadis (valleys) due to risks in view of forecasts of thunderstorms running until Sunday in several parts of the country. Last week, Mecca, home to Islam’s holiest site, experienced heavy rains and a fierce storm that prompted temporary closure of educational institutions and a shift to online learning.
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