Video: Heavy rain in Saudi Arabia forces flight delays, closes schools and cuts the main road to Mecca

Video: Heavy rain in Saudi Arabia forces flight delays, closes schools and cuts the main road to Mecca

RIYADH: Heavy rains in the Saudi coastal city of Jeddah on Thursday delayed flights, forced school suspensions and closed the road to Mecca, Islam’s holiest city, state media reported. Vidoes being shared on social media show vehicles being swept away in the flashfloods caused by the heavy downpour. Jeddah, a city of roughly four million people positioned on the Red Sea, is often referred to as the “gateway to Mecca”, where millions perform the Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages each year. Images posted to social media on Thursday showed standing water snarling traffic in Jeddah and partially submerging some vehicles. The city’s King Abdul Aziz International Airport said that “due to weather conditions, the departure of some flights has been delayed” and urged passengers to contact carriers for up-to-date schedules. The official Saudi Press Agency reported before dawn that schools in the city would be suspended as rains were forecast to continue throughout the day. Schools were also closed in the nearby towns of Rabigh and Khulais “to preserve the safety of male and female students”, SPA said. The kingdom is in the middle of final exams, yet schools had already been closed nationwide on Wednesday after King Salman declared a