Saudi- 2 deaths traffic accidents and floods after rains

(MENAFN- Arab News) Moderate to heavy rain in Makkah and Jeddah caused the death of two people several accidents the rescue of at least 41 people damage to houses and cars and flooding in several neighborhoods according to reports received from the Civil Defense on Monday.

One person died after being electrocuted in a flooded area in Jeddah; while a wall collapsed killing a worker and injuring another in Makkah. The operations room of the Civil Defense in Jeddah received 1500 calls from people reporting electric short circuits.

The Makkah operations room of the Civil Defense received 3500 calls from people reporting minor accidents injuries large pools of water and flooding from valleys in the Hada area. Makkah Gov. Prince Mishaal bin Abdullah has cut short his vacation to oversee operations and urged the Civil Defense and other government agencies to protect lives and property.

Civil Defense spokesman in Makkah Col. Saeed Sarhan confirmed the death of a person by electrocution and said efforts are under way to tackle all electrical faults. He said the Civil Defense is monitoring valleys in Jeddah for flooding with the Presidency of Meteorology and Environment.

'The Civil Defense has prepared well for the rainy season by setting up 32 centers and deploying several rescue teams to sites where there is a potential for flooding in coordination with the Jeddah municipality' he said.

The Jeddah Traffic Department's Wasl Allah Al-Harbi said several teams have been deployed to deal with traffic congestion and accidents on Jeddah's roads. He said the rain also damaged several vehicles.

Meanwhile the General Authority for Civil Aviation said the rain did not disrupt flights at King Abdul Aziz International Airport but heavy wind has seen all operations halted at Jeddah Islamic Port. The Education Department in Jeddah suspended evening classes according to Abdullah Al-Thaqafi director of education in the city.

Meanwhile the Civil Defense in Makkah has rejected reports circulating on social media that there has been a volcanic eruption in an area south of Makkah. In a statement the Civil Defense said that the smoke rising from the area was from a garbage disposal site far from residential and mountainous areas.

'During an inspection it turned out that the fumes were from buried waste which is carbon dioxide and does not pose any risk.' The statement said that the person who posted the video only zoomed into the smoke rising from the area and did not show the waste around it.