The sources, who did not want their names to be published, said 55 suspects wanted to change their statements about their roles in the disaster to the Administrative Investigation Department (AID). They had initially made the confessions in order to avoid going on trial.

The AID is a security organization that tackles cases involving forgery, bribes and administrative corruption.

The sources said the Control and Investigation Board (CIB), concerned with investigating government employees, and the Bureau of Investigation and Prosecution (BIP) will investigate the officials who retracted their confessions and punish those proven to be responsible for the 2009 crisis as well as the flooding disaster last month.

Committees are currently being set up to investigate the causes of destruction and damage resulting from the second flooding disaster in Jeddah in less than two years, killing at least 10 people and injuring 100 others.

The sources said the investigation committees would include representatives from the CIB who questioned suspects in the 2009 crisis.

They expected the investigation committees to begin their work in the next two days. The investigation committees will issue subpoenas for incumbent and former officials suspected of negligence.

They said investigations would focus on the reasons behind the second crisis and the causes behind the collapse of Um Al-Khair dam, the leakage of water from Al-Samir dam and the submerging of Al-Tawfiq and Al-Rabie districts, despite the drainage system that was implemented a few months back.

They expected the investigations to also cover big projects that failed to protect the districts from flooding caused by heavy rains.