Saudi Arabia hit by flash floods

RT.com
25 Nov 2022, 20:13 GMT+10

Torrential rain has resulted in two deaths and traffic disruptions in Jeddah

Two people were killed after unusually heavy rain caused major flooding in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah on Thursday, the local authorities have said.

The death toll was announced on Twitter by the Saudi Defense Ministry spokesman, who urged the public to stay indoors.

The National Center for Meteorology (NCM) said the amount of rainfall reached 179mm in six hours, beating the previous record for the area set in 2009, when devastating flooding resulted in the deaths of more than 100 people, with 350 others missing.

Videos from Jeddah show cars half-submerged in the water and being swept away by strong torrents. Several people were rescued from their vehicles, according to local media.

Jeddah, which is located on the Red Sea coast and has a population of around 4 million, is often referred to as 'the gateway to Mecca', Islam's holiest city. The rain led to traffic on the road between Mecca and Jeddah being suspended for hours.

The city's airport also said that "due to weather conditions, the departure of some flights has been delayed."

Schools in Jeddah were closed "to preserve the safety" of the students, state-run Saudi Press Agency reported. Students already had a day off on Wednesday as a national holiday was declared after the Saudi Arabian football team defeated Argentina in the World Cup in Qatar.

More than 2,500 workers were deployed to Jeddah following the storm to deal with the aftermath of the flooding and facilitate the restoration of traffic.

(RT.com)

Watch latest videos

News RELEASES

Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to South America Times.

More Information

18 ℃

Fair in Buenos Aires/Aeroparque

International

Section

Michigan man sentenced to prison term for keeping dead wife in freezer

MOUNT PLEASANT, Michigan: This week, a judge sentenced a Michigan man who kept his dead wife's body in a freezer ...

US CDC says life expectancy for newborns in 2022 gained a year

ATLANTA, Georgia: After two consecutive years of declines mainly caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, babies born in the U.S. in ...

Three more Israeli troops die in Gaza conflict, death toll hits 400

The number of soldiers in the Israeli army killed in the current Israel-Hamas war has topped 400. Three hundred and ...

Detention extended by Russian court of WSJ's US reporter

MOSCOW, Russia: A Russian court has extended the detention of Evan Gershkovich, a U.S. reporter for the Wall Street Journal, ...

Casualties mount again in Gaza as bombardments gather pace

Israel intensified its deadly bombardment of the Gaza Strip Saturday as renewed fighting with Hamas entered a second day following ...

Nikki Haley's 2024 Republican presidential bid endorsed by Koch Group

ARLINGTON, Virginia: This week, the conservative U.S. political network Americans for Prosperity Action (AFP Action), led by billionaire Charles Koch, ...