Deaths as Saudi storm shuts schools, cuts main road to Mecca

Source: trtworld.com

“Two deaths have been recorded so far,” Mecca regional government says, after heavy rains hit western Saudi Arabia.

At least two people have died as heavy rains hit western Saudi Arabia, including the coastal city of Jeddah, delaying flights and forcing schools to close, officials said.

“Two deaths have been recorded so far, and we call on everyone not to go out unless necessary,” the Mecca regional government said on its Twitter page on Thursday.

The Mecca region includes Jeddah, the kingdom’s second-largest city of roughly four million people, and Mecca city, the holiest city in Islam, where millions perform the Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages each year.

The road connecting the two, which many pilgrims use to reach Mecca, was closed on Thursday once the rains began, state media reported, although it was later reopened, authorities said.

The state-affiliated Al-Ekhbariya channel showed footage of worshippers at the Grand Mosque in Mecca circling the Kaaba — the cubic structure that is the focal point of Islam — under a heavy downpour.

In Jeddah, images posted to social media showed standing water snarling traffic and partially submerging some vehicles. Readmore