JEDDAH: More than 40 people including government officials, contractors and engineers have been detained for questioning in connection with the Nov. 25 Jeddah floods.
The high-level committee in charge of investigating the deluge summoned seven senior officials and employees at the Jeddah municipality for questioning on Sunday.
The officials included assistants to the mayor and those in charge of some service departments. They were called to submit their views on the deluge and the reasons why it occurred. Arab News obtained the names of the seven being questioned, but reserved the right to name them.
Informed sources said the municipality has put all of its resources under the committee’s disposal, adding that it will not show any negligence in providing information required by the panel.
The municipality also said that the work that the committee is undertaking is for the benefit of the people of Jeddah.
Media reports said at the beginning of this week that the committee had started questioning a number of government and private sector officials in Jeddah.
Al-Madinah Arabic daily reported Sunday that 32 people, including retired officials and some still working at the municipality, contractors and realtors have been arrested in connection with the investigation.
Sources would not say whether the officials under detention were “accused” and pointed out that their detention was essential in completing the investigation. They could not say whether the officials would be released on bail. However, they said the booked officials would not be allowed to leave the Kingdom until investigations are completed.
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah told Kuwait’s Asseyassah Arabic daily on Saturday that the government would not show any leniency to officials responsible for the catastrophe. “We have to identify those officials and hold them responsible. We’ll not show any leniency to any official who has been negligent in this matter,” the king said.
An official close to the committee said it was continuing its work on the instructions of King Abdullah to take officials responsible to task. The committee, which is chaired by Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, includes Prince Abdullah bin Fahd bin Muhammad, deputy governor of Makkah for security affairs; Abdul Aziz Al-Khodairy, undersecretary at the governorate; Saleh Al-Ali, head of the Supervision and Investigation Bureau; Lt. Gen. Saad Al-Tuwaijeri, director general of Civil Defense; and Maj. Gen. Abdullah Al-Qarni, director of intelligence in the Makkah province.
The committee had earlier conducted an aerial survey of the affected areas and recorded eyewitness accounts of the flash floods. The panel has also given people an e-mail address to submit their opinions and proposals.
