Jeddah hit by floods as heavy rainfall in Saudi Arabia closes schools

Severe flooding caused by heavy rainfall in Saudi Arabia has seen schools closed and flights delayed.

1 min read

21 November, 2017

Schools and universities were closed due to the heavy flooding [Twitter]

Following severe flooding in western Saudi Arabia, authorities have closed schools and universities in the Jeddah, the kingdom’s second largest city.

Videos shared on social media sites on Tuesday show people stranded in tunnels and cars engulfed as water levels rose.

Schools in Mecca and Taif have also closed down as the Saudi Civil Defense predicts heavy rainfall to continue through to Thursday.

Floods are not new to the kingdom. In 2009, severe flooding in Saudi Arabia resulted in the death of over a hundred people.

Adel Fakeih who was the mayor of Jeddah at the time of the flooding in 2009, is one of the Saudi royals currently being held as part of the Crown Prince's 'anti-corruption purge'.

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Air traffic was also affected, and several flights were delayed this morning.

In a statement by Saudi Airlines, the carrier said: "We value our esteemed guests and recognise that due to these weather conditions they might want to change their travel plans or cancel, therefore it was decided to exempt all affected tickets that were issued with confirm bookings that are affected by the weather from all restrictions and penalties."

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