Ibrahim Alawi

Okaz/Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH — The Civil Defense has said the death of a man in the recent building collapse in Old Jeddah was an accident. Omar Al-Samdani, a witness, said the house that collapsed was Al-Qishr House in the alleys of Al-Sham and Al-Mathloum but it wasn’t considered a historic building.



“There are many ramshackle buildings in Old Jeddah. The area has seen demolitions, collapse and incidents of fire. But, it seems, no one cares. This has been going on for years, even after the area was designated as a World Heritage by UNESCO,” said Al-Samdani. He added the dead man was a Yemeni in his 30s and he had parked his car near the building unaware that it was undergoing demolition despite the signs posted around the area. “The man came with a friend who left the car for a while.



The deceased was waiting for his friend in the car when the building collapsed,” said Al-Samdani. He also said the Civil Defense came to the scene and took the victim from beneath the ruins. “The municipality tried contacting the owner of the building but he wouldn’t respond.



There are several other buildings around the same area which are on the verge of collapse,” said Al-Samdani. He also said the municipality should either renovate these buildings or demolish them to prevent them from collapsing and killing more people. “Several other buildings have already collapsed such as Al-Jakhdar House, Banajah House, Qitab House, Al-Kabli House, Baqais House, Al-Dakhakhni House, Al-Bughdadi House, Atiah House and Aby Zinadah House,” said Al-Samdani.