More than 1,357 people who were stranded in flash floods were rescued across the Kingdom, which experienced heavy downpour between Monday and Tuesday, said a Civil Defense statement on Tuesday evening.

Civil Defense teams also lifted 478 buses, cars and other vehicles that were trapped by raging waters as a result of the torrential rains that have ensued over the past two days.

“Four people were killed and 10 are missing in different parts of the Kingdom. While two people have died in Riyadh and two in the norther border town of Arar, three people who sustained injuries in flood-related accidents have been admitted to hospital in Arar,” Civil Defense spokesman Col. Abdullah Al-Harthy said.

Among the missing were seven from Riyadh and three from Araar.

“We received some 6,147 calls of distress from across the Kingdom,” he said.

Al-Harthy said that 1,700 rain-related accidents were reported in Riyadh. Around 300 stranded individuals were rescued and 110 buses and cars were retrieved from flood waters.

Civil Defense in Qassim rescued 79 people and 33 vehicles, while in Hail 11, people were rescued from inside their cars amid rising waters, the statement added.

Al-Harthy said that his department is on 24-hour alert to help citizens and residents who have been affected by the rains.

A bus was reported to have been swept away in the rain water.

Al-Qassim, Asir, Madinah, Abdha, Bisha, Khafji and Al-Ahsa in the Eastern Province, Makkah and Najran were all affected by heavy rain.

Motorists in the capital experienced severe traffic congestion.

School authorities reported a low turnout among students yesterday.

One Asian school principal said that some of the classrooms were leaking due to heavy rains. In addition, several schools in Riyadh have remained shut.