Several missing as heavy rains and flash floods hit Qunfudah

August 4, 2013

Jeddah/Abha, Aug 4: Makkah Emir Prince Khaled Al-Faisal was personally following up the search operation for several people who went missing during the heavy rains that lashed Qunfudah governorate over the past two days.

Civil Defense spokesman Col. Saeed Sarhan said rescue teams were dispatched to several locations after two people had been reported missing.

A Saudi young man was found dead seven kilometers away from his car that was washed away by flash floods near Nekhal valley in Abha on Friday.

The 19-year-old went missing while he was on his way to perform the late night prayers at a local mosque. His car was found in a remote area. Hundreds of villagers took part in the search operation to find him.

The body of a Yemeni man was found Saturday morning inside his car that was swept off near Qanoona village in the east of Qunfudah governorate.

Meanwhile, a Saudi man in his 60s was washed away with his car by a flood at Barqan Valley in Asir, according to Asir Civil Defense acting spokesman Lt. Col. Maeed Al-Shehri.

Heavy rains created chaos on several roads of Makkah city on Friday, Al-Madinah newspaper reported.

Several main streets, especially in the southern part of the city, were inundated causing heavy traffic jams in many locations.

Lt. Col. Ali Al-Zahrani, spokesman for the traffic police in Makkah, said the department dispatched more teams to main streets and the central area around the Grand Mosque.

Makkah Civil Defense spokesman Maj. Gen. Salih Al-Alyani said the Civil Defense sent text messages warning people in Makkah to stay away from valleys and floods. He added all Civil Defense squads were put on high alert and several teams were sent to valleys to warn people against possible floods. The teams will remain in their posts until further notice.

In the Grand Mosque, the cleaning department used 300 machines and over 700 workers to remove water inside the Grand Mosque and the courtyards outside. All carpets inside were replaced with anti-skid plastic mats.

In King Abdullah Medical City, the medical staff had to transfer patients in the recovery unit to other rooms after rainwater leaked from the unit’s ceiling.

The director of cleaning at Makkah Municipality said more trucks and street cleaners were used to remove garbage and drain pools of water created by rains. He noted that 10 water tankers were used to drain the streets.

The man's body was found six kilometers away from his car.

Comments

Add new comment

Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.

Syrian Town erupts after Israeli forces enter Beit Jinn; heavy casualties reported

News Network

November 28,2025

Several Syrians were killed and more than two dozen others injured in Israeli strikes on the outskirts of Damascus, amid intensified incursions by the occupying regime since the fall of former president Bashar al-Assad and the rise of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rule.

Syrian state TV reported that the casualties occurred during an overnight Israeli assault involving helicopters and drones on the town of Beit Jinn in the Damascus countryside. The attack followed an Israeli military unit’s entry into the town, where they were surrounded by local residents, leading to gunfire and direct confrontations.

According to the report, “The occupation army’s helicopters and artillery shelled Beit Jinn, located at the foothills of Mount Hermon, resulting in 13 martyrs and 25 injured civilians.” The broadcaster did not specify the full extent of damage.

Al-Ikhbariyah Syria confirmed that the shelling coincided with Israeli soldiers entering Beit Jinn, while artillery pounded surrounding areas. The broadcaster stated that the escalation began after local residents clashed with an Israeli patrol that had infiltrated the southern town and “kidnapped” three young men.

Following a two-hour exchange of heavy fire, Israeli forces withdrew and repositioned on the hill of Butt al-Warda at the town’s outskirts.

Israeli media acknowledged that six soldiers were wounded in the clashes—three of them seriously—describing the confrontation as a “sudden ambush” that forced the deployment of reserve units and air support to secure an exit route. No further details were provided.

The aggression has fueled renewed displacement from Beit Jinn, with residents fleeing to nearby villages amid increasingly frequent Israeli attacks.

The raid came just a day after Israeli troops carried out another ground incursion into Umm al-Luqas village in Quneitra province. According to SANA, an Israeli unit in four vehicles entered the village, raided several homes, and later withdrew.

Syria condemned the repeated incursions as violations of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement and UN resolutions, urging the international community to enforce compliance and pressure Israel to halt its operations and withdraw fully.

Israel has expanded its attacks across Syrian territory following the collapse of the Assad government last year. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly instructed his forces to push deeper into Syrian territory and seize strategic positions.

Meanwhile, critics say the HTS-led interim government’s inaction and growing normalization gestures toward Israel have emboldened Tel Aviv to intensify its military operations. HTS, formerly linked to al-Qaeda, seized control of Damascus last December, formally ending Assad’s rule.

Comments