Lightning kills Afif siblings

JEDDAH, 25 April — Three Saudi siblings were killed and six other family members wounded when a bolt of lightning struck their camp in Afif, 450 km west of Riyadh, a newspaper reported yesterday.

Lt. Hathlul Al-Oteibi, the Civil Defense chief in Afif, said two sisters, aged 20 and eight, and their 10-year-old brother were killed in Saturday’s accident while the wounded included the parents and other siblings, Al-Riyadh newspaper said.

Heavy rains have lashed the mountainous southwest region over the past few days, causing floods in several cities.

And snow, a rare sight in the country, fell in the summer resort of Taif, 900 km southwest of Riyadh on Monday.