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HEAVY rain lashed Jeddah and adjoining governorates Friday morning.
No deaths or injuries were reported as most of the people were staying indoors and the streets were almost empty because of the weekend holiday.
The General Authority of Meteorology and Environmental Protection warned that inclement weather will continue in many parts of the Kingdom with heavy to moderate rain.
The Civil Defense teams rescued 48 workers trapped in a building in Jeddah when its front side submerged in water blocking all exits.
Col. Saeed Sarhan, spokesman for the Civil Defense in Makkah region, said the condition of the workers were stable and the workers’ accommodation was handed to the concerned authorities and it will be transferred to them after ensuring that it is out of danger.
He said the Civil Defense and other authorities have taken all precautionary measures to handle any emergency situation in the wake of the weather forecast.
Jeddah’s northern and central parts experienced heavy rain for nearly three hours in the morningwhile other parts of the governorate received moderate rain.
Al-Sarhan said traffic police closed a number of tunnels as a precautionary measure and opened them only after mobilizing equipment to suck rainwater. There were no reports of flashfloods in any part of the governorate.
A traffic accident was reported on Haramain Expressway, south of the University Bridge, and the concerned authorities handled the situation instantly, Al-Sarhan said. He added that there were reports of water-clogged areas in some parts of the city and the municipality’s workers started draining the streets by around 10 a.m.
The sound of heavy rain awoke residents of Jeddah Friday morning. Many residents were seen coming out of their homes to enjoy the rainfall. Those living on the coastal areas gathered on the Corniche Road, venturing out of their vehicles.
Heavy to moderate rain hit various regions of Madinah and Umlaj on Friday.
Hussein Al-Qahtani, spokesman for the meteorology authority, said the Jeddah governorate received rain ranging between 5 to 21 millimeters.
Inclement weather will continue in many parts of the Kingdom, especially the northwestern coastal regions.
According to the authority’s forecast, the central and northern parts of the Kingdom would experience sandstorm and rain accompanied by thunder, which will be felt in parts of Makkah, Madinah and Al-Qassim, reaching up to Hafar Al-Batin.
Naif Al-Sharif, spokesman for the Civil Defense in Makkah, said it had received warning from the authority that moderate to heavy rain would hit the holy city.
