Forty-nine people rescued from flooded valleys in northern Saudi city of Tabuk

Residents have been asked to abide by the instructions of the civil defense. (SPA)

• One person died in Bidaa as a result of the floods

JEDDAH: Civil defense teams in Tabuk have rescued 49 people stranded in their valleys after heavy rains caused flooding. 
With the help of the King Faisal Air Base they rescued 41 in Al-Saro, Um-Barira and Shaqiri valleys in Tabuk and made a further eight rescues in the Affal valley in Bidaa. One person died in Bidaa as a result of the floods.
“Thanks to the readiness of the team in terms of plans, rapid response and deployment in areas affected by floods, the civil defense was able to successfully undertake the rescue operations,” said Maj. Abdul Aziz Al-Shammari, a civil defense spokesman in Tabuk. 
He added that “there are identified and detailed procedures in place, in coordination with all concerned parties, to cope with rainfall and floods.”
Al-Shammari added that the civil defense teams in Tabuk were braced to deal with all developments following information provided by the General Authority of Meteorology and Environmental Protection. 
They will carry on their operations until the end of the rainy season.
He called on all citizens and residents to abide by the instructions of the civil defense, and to abstain from going to valleys and places facing flood threats.