Maj. Abdullah Al-Amri, spokesman for the Civil Defense in Makkah province, said nine apartments and 21 shops in the building, in the Bab Sharif area of downtown Jeddah, were safely evacuated after pieces of the structure had broken off due to a long period of disrepair. On Friday, a fence was seen around the building to keep people away.

Residents of the building claim they have reported the dangerous state of the building numerous times to the municipality to no avail.

“We also told them there was sewage water leaking along the streets and alleys in (the nearby) Souk Al-Alawi and Souk Al-Nadha, but they did not heed our complaints,” said one resident who did not want to be named.

Another resident complained that a number of officials from the municipality and the Jeddah Municipal Council have visited the area only for photo ops and publicity regarding the state of buildings in the area. One resident said the municipality had promised to re-pave an area but never followed through and that the area had become partially blocked by a contractor's stones and cement blocks.

“Many of the shop owners put down rugs to enable shoppers to reach them without getting dusty and dirty,” said another resident.

An owner of a shop at Al-Basha Endowment Souk, which is replete with foodstuffs stores, fisheries and restaurants, told Arab News that the area had become a haven for vermin. “We have rats as big as cats,” he said, gesturing to the garbage-strewn street.

The shop owner said the cleaners sent by the municipality to get rid of vermin were not doing their job but rather sifting through the rubbish for recyclables to sell.

“We see them only when they come to ask us for a riyal or two to buy breakfast,” he said.

Some residents recalled that a number of businessmen and landlords, including the owner of the famous Al-Malikah (Queen's) Building in Balad, have tried their best to improve the situation, but all that they have received from the municipality are empty promises.