a train station in Jeddah
A firefighting helicopter sprays water on a fire at a train station, in Jeddah on Sunday. Image Credit: AP

Dubai- A fire broke out in the Haramain high-speed rail station in Saudi Arabia’s coastal city of Jeddah, the country’s civil defence service said on Sunday.

Five people were taken to hospital, the Makkah regional government said. Some 16 "medical teams" were at the scene and firefighters continued to tackle the blaze, Saudi Civil Defense reportedly said.

Saudi train fire
A fire broke out in the Haramain high-speed rail station in Saudi Arabia Image Credit: @makkahregion

Al Arabiya TV and the Makkah region twitter feed displayed videos showing plumes of thick black smoke emanating from the roof of the station with helicopters flying nearby.

Al Arabiya said the fire broke out at 12:35 local time (0935 GMT).

The $7.3 billion, 450km Haramain Railway linking Makkah and Madinah with the Red Sea city of Jeddah, was opened in September last year.

The station is part of efforts to boost tourism revenue as the country seeks to shed its dependence on oil exports.