RIYADH/BURAIDAH: Heavy rains across the Kingdom yesterday caused hundreds of accidents in Riyadh and Qassim where one man was killed and 10 people were injured.
For the second time in less than a week, valleys in Qassim province were filled with rainwater causing havoc on roads, and preventing students and teachers from going to school.
Ten schoolgirls and women teachers were injured in an accident involving four cars at 7.30 a.m. yesterday south of Al-Rass. “The injured were brought to Al-Rass General Hospital. Two of them are in intensive care,” said a source at the hospital.
Police attributed the accident to one of the cars overtaking dangerously on a narrow bridge. Some of those injured were discharged from hospital after receiving treatment.
Police also reported that a Saudi pedestrian had been killed walking along King Abdulaziz Road in Asyah in heavy rain. The driver who ran over the man gave himself up to police.
Asyah was the worst affected area in Qassim province with the main road linking the two towns of Abalworood and Dheeda blocked by severe flooding, preventing students and teachers from going to school.
Civil Defense units were called to rescue around 10 cars trapped inside valleys in Dhariyah, Om Hazm, Oqlat Al-Suqoor and Al-Shumasiah.
The road from Buraidah to Asyah witnessed unusual activity with desert-lovers picnicking around Mared’s Dam and in the rain-hit valleys of Asyah. Al-Nabgiyah Lake, some 45 km east of Buraidah, is another attraction with rainwater surrounding the sand dunes creating a beautiful scene.
Meanwhile, Riyadh saw rains that began at 11 a.m. Sunday continuing until 3.00 p.m. yesterday. Maj. Ibrahim Abu Shararah said 415 accidents were reported from 8 a.m. Sunday until 4.15 p.m. yesterday. He added that 3,990 emergency calls were made to report traffic accidents.
“The main cause of these accidents was the use of mobile phones while driving in rain and motorists tailgating,” Maj. Abu Shararah said.
The traffic police were seen towing away stalled vehicles on the Ring Road, King Fahd Highway and on roads in the northeastern and northwestern parts of the capital. Officials of the Saudi Red Crescent were also on high alert on highways.
Prayers for rain were conducted in all parts of the city last week. Worshippers at mosques expressed their happiness at the rains, adding that they felt their prayers had been answered.
Kabeer Rafaideen, sales manager at a private establishment in the city, told Arab News that the rains caused major traffic problems. He added that efficient management by the traffic police helped ease the situation.
Parents who dropped their children off at school were late to work yesterday due to traffic jams. “It took more than an hour to return to office when I went to pick my child from school during the lunch break,” said Mohammed Ali, an accountant.
Mohammed Hussein, the principal of the Bangladesh International School, said many parents and pupils faced inconvenience due to the rains.
Welcoming the rains, an official from the National Commission for Wildlife Conservation and Development (NCWCD) said, “The rains will create a conducive environment for wildlife and vegetation.”
According to a senior official from the Presidency of Meteorology and Environment, 10mm of rains were recorded in the first four hours of raining in Riyadh yesterday.
The city is expected to experience more rains with thunderstorms and northeasterly winds of 10 to 15 knots blowing westerly, he added.
Jeddah saw on Sunday 8.2mm of rain, Asyah 40mm, Buraidah 40mm, Onaizah 43.5mm, Rass 32mm and Methnab 49mm, according to the Met Office.
— With input by Mohammed Rasooldeen & Khaled Al-Awadh
