JEDDAH: Officials at King Abdulaziz University Medical College have denied rumors circulating among students as well as on Web forums of continued chaos after the Nov. 25 floods.
Parts of the university were under water for several days after the rains. The macabre rumors refer to floating bodies and body parts inside the morgue, even that some had floated outside the building. The medical college, which suffered some damage from the floodwaters, is now open. On Monday, medical students were making last-minute preparations for their exams.
However, the morgue at the women’s section — the subject of most of the rumors — is still closed. Arab News was unable to visit it. There were reports it had filled with mud brought in by the floodwaters. The mud is reported to be up to ceiling level and it will take some while to clean.
One faculty member, speaking on condition of anonymity, denied the mud rumor. “The women’s section is closed at the moment, and it will reopen as soon as the cleaning efforts and maintenance are completed and power is restored,” he said, adding that women students have been moved to a nearby facility to help them continue their studies without interruption.
The college meanwhile faces other problems in that the research laboratory lost virtually all its animals in the flood — mostly rats, rabbits and other small animals.
Students at the medical college are still in doubt as to whether the damages will be fixed anytime soon and have complained that this delay is affecting their studies.
Dr. Mahmoud Shaheen, dean of the medical college and supervisor of the university hospital, reportedly estimated losses from the floods to the hospital at more than a quarter of a billion riyals.
