JEDDAH, 1 October 2006 — Police are investigating the collapse on Thursday of two large steel sheds at a border-crossing point between Saudi Arabia and Yemen in Jizan.
The collapse of the sheds where customs and immigration formalities were in progress did not result in any injuries. The Yemen-bound passengers waiting in the shed had to search for other shelter because of heavy rains. On receiving the accident report from the Tewal crossing-point, the Civil Defense rushed to the area to avoid any further calamities.
The accident was a surprise since the sheds were built only three months ago at a cost of SR48 million. Preliminary inquiries have shown that the pillars of the sheds were weak and unable to withstand harsh weather conditions.
The contractor gave assurances at the time of construction that the sheds would be safe for use in any weather conditions including heavy rains, floods, cyclones and earthquakes over the next 10 years.
The Civil Defense prepared a detailed report of the accident in order to present it to the governor of Jizan who will take necessary action.
Two temporary passages have been built for the uninterrupted conduct of customs and passport checks until new sheds are constructed. The remaining four sheds at the crossing have been pulled down to avoid further accidents as the building experts of Civil Defense discovered cracks on them.
The authorities have demanded the contractor who undertook the construction of the sheds to appear before inquiry officials and give an explanation for the crash, a reliable source said. He will also have to prove that he scrupulously followed the specifications provided by the engineers.
It has also been reported that another shed collapsed in heavy rains a month ago. No inquiry was made then because it was dismissed as a rain-related accident.
The source told Arab News that if negligence on the part of the contractor was detected he would have to pay a heavy fine in addition to paying damages covering the cost of the building and the loss caused to the customs and passport departments and the passengers.
