RIYADH: A man and a woman died in the past 24 hours in rain-related incidents as the capital was lashed by heavy rains. Four more patients also died in the central hospital due to respiratory problems due to the cold weather.

Riyadh Civil Defense spokesman Maj. Mohammmed Al-Hammadi said that in addition to the man who died Wednesday in Rimah, a woman was drowned by floodwaters in Quawaiyyah, 160 km west of Riyadh.

The woman’s body was retrieved from a flooded area by the Civil Defense on Thursday. The man died when his vehicle was dragged into a pool of water.

The spokesman said that his team rescued 218 distressed people who were caught in the floods, while 125 vehicles were pulled out from flooded valleys and rugged plateaus.

Some 335 acute asthma patients were treated at King Saud Hospital in Riyadh (Shumaisi) and four of them died due to respiratory problems, the head of the emergency department at the hospital, Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Qahtani, said.

The chief executive officer of the hospital, Dr. Haitham Al-Falah, said that the hospital is open 24/7 to treat patients who need nebulizer treatment for asthmatic attacks.

Al-Falah warned asthma patients, persons who have allergies and the elderly who suffer from chronic ailments to remain indoors during the cold weather since it could seriously trigger breathing problems.

School scouts in the Al-Qassim region helped Civil Defense teams to assist flood victims in the region which affected more than 1,000 people due to continuous rains. Director General of Education Abdullah bin Ibrahim Al-Rukyan thanked the youths who came out at such a trying time, braving the weather conditions.

Commander of General Aviation Brig. Mohammed bin Eid Al-Harbe said that he instructed regional offices to make use of aircraft for aerial surveillance and rescue operations. “We are following the affected areas on the advice of the Presidency of Meteorology and Environment.”

Mayor of Alkhobar municipality Essam Al-Mulla said the situation was brought under control by covering more than 85 percent of the flooded low-lying areas. Based on the heavy rainfall, the municipality increased the number of rain disposal stations from six to nine in the province.