TEMPO.CO, Jeddah-Arabian Civil Defense Authority reported that at least 18 people died and four went missing in Saudi Arabia after a series of hard rain this week. Saudi Press Agency reported that in several parts of the country, people were drowned into a whirlpool.
"Civil Defense Divers found a body in murky waters where visibility is low," said Lieutenant Col. Jaman Al-Ghamdi, spokesperson of Baha Civil Defense.
Three Yamani workers were reported to be missing while working on the Aqiq highway project. Al-Ghamdi said that he have ordered 15 divers to look for the workers’ bodies in the Aqiq reservoir. A total of 250 rescuers and 15 divers in al-Aqiq reservoir have been mobilized by the Saudi Arabian government to search for other victims.
A rescue team managed to evacuate six villagers in the South West of Bisha Province after the Tabala Valley Reservoir broke down and flooded the area.
For almost 25 years, Saudi Arabia never experienced a high intensity of rain. In 2011, 10 people died when a flood struck Western part of Jeddah, while in 2009, a flood killed 123 people in the city.
AL ARABIYA | ARAB NEWS | CHOIRUL
