Saudi schools shut as flood toll rises to 7
Nov 20, – Flash floods sparked by torrential rain in largely desert Saudi Arabia have killed seven people over the past three days, the civil defence authority said on Wednesday.
Five other people are still missing after parts of the capital Riyadh and the northeastern city of Arar were inundated, authority spokesman Colonel Abdullah Al Harithi told the official SPA new agency.
The storms that have accompanied the downpours have brought down power lines, sparking outages in parts of north Riyadh.
Saudi authorities have cancelled school in the capital and other regions for a fifth consecutive day.
Flooding of underpasses on major thoroughfares has sparked traffic chaos for Riyadh’s more than five million residents.
Social media images from Saudi Arabia have included camels knee-deep in flood water and a man floating down a street atop a foam block.
This year’s cloudbursts have been among the most severe since more than 100 people died in floods in 2009.
In May last year, around 20 people were killed in flooding sparked by the kingdom’s heaviest rainfall in 25 years.
Press journalist for HRO media – contributed to this report.
Category: International
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