RIYADH, 25 November 2004 — Three expatriate workers died while 12 others were injured, some of them seriously, when a building under construction along Aziziya Road in the capital collapsed yesterday. There was no official statement on the incident but a witness told Arab News that it happened at 12.50 p.m. “I was really shocked seeing the falling building,” he added.
Civil defense officers as well as Red Crescent volunteers arrived at the site soon after the incident to carry out rescue operations. They also took the injured to hospitals. A shop owner in a nearby building said he had seen rescue workers removing three bodies from under the debris.
Al-Iman General Hospital received four cases. One of the four has already left the hospital after receiving treatment. The remaining three have been shifted to Riyadh Medical Center (formerly Shumaisy Hospital) for specialized treatment. V.V. Narayanan, first secretary at the Indian Embassy, said he could not confirm the death of any Indian worker in the incident. “We will send two welfare department officials to hospitals to find out if any Indian worker had died or was injured,” he told Arab News.
