MADINAH, 26 January 2005 — Madinah Governor Prince Muqrin said at least 29 people have died and another 17 have been injured as a result of recent flooding caused by heavy rains.
The floods destroyed roads, knocked down power and phone lines and caused significant damage to homes, farms and cars. The floods killed a large number of livestock, and many village residents around Madinah were left homeless.
Arab News visited areas hard hit by the flooding. Many villages outside Madinah are isolated, with roadways either damaged or buried in mud. Operations to clear the roads continue.
Residents of nearby villages told Arab News the last few days have been difficult, and at times frightening. Families were isolated in their villages cut off from news about the extent of the flooding.
Rescue teams continue to search for missing persons, and dive teams are searching for bodies and recovering the bodies of unidentified victims who were swept away in the floodwaters and drowned.
Sheikh Hasin Al-Ahmadi, a well-known Madinah resident, was on his way to Al-Fegra, some 80 km outside Madinah, to visit relatives and congratulate them for Eid, when his car became trapped in the flood, killing him. Rescue teams reached the car hours after he died.
Near Al-Hunakeya, divers still search for a missing child who was swept away in the flood.
In the Al-Yatama area, the Fire Department has recovered the body of a girl from a family of 12 who died when floodwater surrounded the car and drowned the family. The bodies of the entire family were recovered from inside the car.
Musa Ali, a resident of the village of Abu Al-Deba outside Madinah, was killed when he left the village to warn his family of the danger and fast-moving floodwaters took his car as he attempted to cross one of the valleys. His friend, who was riding in the passenger seat survived by clinging to a tree for several hours until he was rescued by the Fire Department.
“The problem is that many villages are located on watercourse areas,” said Abu Taher, resident of Al-Fegra. “Many villages that were hard hit by flooding were located on lower ground. The problem is that residents of these villages refuse to move to higher ground.”
Abu Taher thinks many of the car tragedies could have been avoided. “We have also some people who drive in watercourse areas during the rains,” he said. “These people should have avoided these places when it was raining because floods may strike at any moment. Many accidents like this occur every year without any change. People who live in villages are still unaware they’re putting their lives in danger.”
Prince Muqrin ordered immediate aid for families that were ravaged by the flooding and ordered the identification of disaster areas, which will be included in a report to Interior Minister Prince Naif.
