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Jeddah flash floods kill 88

28 November 2009 09:15 (UTC +04:00)

Jeddah â€“ APA. More bodies have been recovered in the western Saudi city of Jeddah, gateway for Muslim pilgrims headed to Mecca, pushing the death toll from Wednesday’s flash flood to 83, reports said on Friday. APA reports the toll has risen to 88, nearly all of them in Jeddah, after the Red Sea port was hit by a torrential downpour that sparked what observers said looked like a tidal wave when it struck the city. As Muslim pilgrims were casting stones at walls representing the devil on the third day of the annual hajj, torrential rains inundated the port city of Jeddah, where 80 mm of rain fell in just a few hours, forcing the closure of the main highway to Mecca, and stranding thousands of pilgrims on their way to the Muslimsâ€™ holy city. Most of the victims died from drowning, and a few others killed by mudslide, collapsing houses, falling bridges and in car collisions. About 1250 others were rescued after being stranded in the floodwaters, the authorities said.