Floods in Saudi Arabia kill 12 and spark nearly 300 rescues

Civil Defense members help rescue a vehicle in Al-Muwayh. (Civil Defense)

Floods this week in Saudi Arabia killed 12 people and led to dozens of rescues, the Civil Defense said on Wednesday. (Twitter: Saudi Civil Defense)

• main emergency operations took place in Tabuk where 10 people died
• The emergency services rescued 271 people from flooded areas, more than half of them in Tabuk

JEDDAH: Floods this week in Saudi Arabia killed 12 people and led to dozens of rescues, the Civil Defense said on Wednesday.

The main emergency operations took place in Tabuk where 10 people died since heavy rain started on Sunday. One person died in Madinah where dramatic videos showed flood waters pouring through the streets. Another person was killed in the northern border regions.

Flooding in #Madinah on Monday caused chaos on the roads. In the north-west of #SaudiArabia, the Civil Defense (@SaudiDCD) said it rescued 65 people in Tabuk and Al-Jouf and 37 people west of Duba. (Video supplied)https://t.co/M7zAkZcGHb pic.twitter.com/oEkMpRfksT

— Arab News (@arabnews) January 28, 2019

The emergency services rescued 271 people from flooded areas, more than half of them in Tabuk.

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READ MORE: Dozens rescued from flooding as heavy rain shuts schools and roads in Saudi Arabia

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Heavy downpours of rain have hit several areas of Saudi Arabia this week, mainly in western and northwestern parts of the Kingdom near its border with Jordan.

#SaudiArabia Civil Defense (@SaudiDCD) says 12 people were killed in #floods in the north and west of the Kingdom this week and 271 people were rescued. Ten of the victims were killed in #Tabuk. (Pictures: Civil Defense)https://t.co/ErGysU1TEd pic.twitter.com/KlVXGOCd7N

— Arab News (@arabnews) January 30, 2019

Prince Faisal bin Salman, governor of Medinah province visited those affected in flooded regions.

Floods this week in #SaudiArabia killed 12 people and led to dozens of rescues, while #Madinah governor Prince Faisal bin Salman visited those affected in the flooded regionshttps://t.co/3GLWZ9Lwf4 pic.twitter.com/DWMBVf4xXa

— Arab News (@arabnews) January 30, 2019

A number of committees have been set up to assess the damage caused by the bad weather, the agency said.

Saudi Press Agency reports also highlighted where drainage systems at points around the city of Tabuk had been effective, and that further future works would be carried out to improve the city's drainage during heavy rainfall.