This led to a fight between car owners and Saudi youths living in the nearby district. The fight was quickly controlled by police while the injured were taken to hospital by ambulance.
Owners of shops near the bridge told Arab News of the need to solve the problems of overstayers who have been living there for several months.
“The presence of these illegal aliens under the bridge causes fear among residents of nearby districts as well as owners of businesses,” one shop owner said.
“We feel that our children, vehicles and shops are not at all safe because of the presence of these overstayers,” a resident in Sharafiyah district said.
A trader said it was not the first time overstayers living under the bridge turned violent. “We have been providing them with food and other assistance but their response is quite discouraging,” he said.
In a previous statement, Maj. Muhammad Al-Hussein, spokesman of the Passport Department, said the overstayers have been given an amnesty to leave the Kingdom quickly without punishment.
A human rights official, meanwhile, expressed wonder at why the overstayers were still living under the bridge despite the amnesty declared by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah.
“There may be some unknown reasons that force them to live there,” he added.
