Cairo: Two children died due to flash floods resulting from heavy rains that hit a wadi (valley) in the Jazan region in south-western Saudi Arabia.
The victims had drowned Friday after falling into a flood-induced swamp in the Wadi Bin Abdullah near the Zamzam village south of Jazan, reported Saudi news portal Sabq.
The latest deaths have increased the number of registered fatalities from recent flash floods in this wadi to five and the total in Jazan to nine, according to the website's tally.
Last week, civil defence retrieved the bodies of three persons who had died in the flooded wadi. They were two children and a man aged 35 years.
Other flood-related deaths elsewhere in Jazan included a man and his wife. The couple were killed after a bridge, connecting the governorates of Sabya and Abu Arish in Jazan, had partially collapsed.
Battered by torrential rains
Jazan was battered by torrential rains over the past week. Thunderstorms and lightning disrupted power supplies for hundreds of households in Jazan, Saudi newspaper Al Watan reported. The situation put government and local authorities in the region on maximum alert to handle the aftermath.
The Saudi National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) forecast that chances are still there on Saturday for medium-to-heavy thunder rains resulting in flowing floods in parts of Jazan, Asir, Al Baha and Mecca. The rainfall is likely to be accompanied by hail showers, and dust-laden winds.
Climate records show that over the past 30 years, Jazan has registered the highest rain amounts at the kingdom's level in August, an NCM official said last week.
Public urged to exercise caution
The Saudi Civil Defence has advised the public to exercise vigilance and caution due to rainy weather in several parts of the kingdom. The service has called for staying in safe places and avoiding water accumulations and wadis.
The Saudi General Directorate of Civil Defence has warned against swimming in floodwater, citing the risk involved. The public is also encouraged to closely follow the safety instructions disseminated by the directorate across different media outlets and social media.
