Saudi- Panel to probe 'incompetence' in Lama's death

(MENAFN- Arab News) Authorities in Tabuk have set up a high-level committee to investigate the incompetence of official agencies in the case of six-year-old girl Lama Al-Rouqi, who accidentally fell into an abandoned well in Tabuk on Dec. 20.



The committee will look into various aspects of negligence and will come up with recommendations to prevent recurrence of such unfortunate mishaps in future, sources said

The mandate given to the committee includes investigating the agencies responsible for illegal wells, come up with solutions to prevent recurrence of such incidents, and examining permits from the agriculture and water municipalities to dig wells, the sources said



Earlier, Tabuk Gov. Prince Fahd bin Sultan instructed authorities that all possible steps should be taken to bring up the girl's body from the well at the earliest, even as Civil Defense officials managed to retrieve parts of Lama's body on Monday. Workers are continuing with their efforts to retrieve the rest of Lama's body



The unfortunate death of Lama has resulted in authorities launching comprehensive plans to close abandoned and unsafe wells in different parts of the country since open wells are a threat to the lives of children

The Ministry of Water and Electricity found 130,000 abandoned and unlicensed wells across the Kingdom and had fined several people for violating environmental and safety regulations