MECCA — A child has died and another remains unaccounted for after three children were swept away by torrential flash floods in the holy city of Mecca following severe downpours, the General Directorate of Saudi Civil Defense confirmed.
Emergency search-and-rescue teams mobilized immediately after receiving reports that the children had been dragged into a fast-flowing floodwater channel. Rescuers successfully pulled one child to safety, while a second child was recovered deceased. Search operations remain ongoing to locate the third missing child.
In an official statement published on social media platform X, the Saudi Civil Defense verified the casualties, noting that the precise operational circumstances surrounding the incident are being reviewed.
The disaster management authority issued a stern advisory directing citizens, expatriates, and pilgrims to observe maximum caution during adverse weather conditions. The public was warned against approaching natural drainage channels, mountain valleys (wadis), waterlogged catchments, and flood-prone low-lying corridors.
Highlighting that sudden runoff descending from mountainous basins through drainage culverts can rapidly escalate into life-threatening torrents, emergency officials reiterated the necessity of complying with official meteorological warnings and civil safety protocols during severe weather spells.
Source: General Directorate of Saudi Civil Defense (via Saudi Gazette / Ajel News)