18 dead in week of Saudi floods, rain: civil defence

Eighteen people have been killed during heavy rains and floods over the past week in Saudi Arabia, the civil defence agency said on Thursday.

In a statement, it said the toll covered much of the country, from Riyadh to Hail, Mecca, Medina, Al-Baha, Asir, Najran and Jazan.

The agency said it rescued 915 people.

Two #dead and six injured in Saudi #floods https://t.co/M608gSBopY #SaudiArabia #flood pic.twitter.com/zeQdbTeZ33

— Gulf Today (@gulftoday) April 14, 2016

Among the dead were two people reported by state television earlier Thursday as killed in the southwestern Jazan region, which borders Yemen.



The pair died when three areas in the mountainous district were inundated by flood waters, Al-Ekhbaria news channel reported on its Twitter feed.

The Saudi Red Crescent separately reported one death in Al-Baha, more than 300 kilometres (180 miles) north of Jazan city.

Another 27 people in Al-Baha were injured over three days because of accidents during heavy rains.

Severe downpours have struck Saudi Arabia this week, including in the desert capital Riyadh where schools closed on Wednesday after floods caused traffic chaos during a storm.