NAJRAN — Civil Defense personnel rescued a number of people besieged by torrential floods in Wadi Najran Sunday, according to the force's spokesman. Lt. Col. Ali Omair said the Civil Defense was in continuous coordination with the Ministry of Water and the workers in Najran Dam to drain the dam's water, which went up to more than 20 meters. He said sirens were blown several times on Sunday to warn people against coming close to the dam or the valleys. According to Omair, heavy rain in Najran and other southern areas waterlogged streets, leading to traffic chaos. "It was not easy to drain the canals, which were filled by water coming down from the nearby mountains," he added. The spokesman of the Saudi Red Crescent Authority Saud Duwais said Red Crescent paramedics handled five traffic accidents resulting from the rain and floods in which a man was killed and eight others injured. He said the injuries were medium to serious, adding that all the victims were transferred to hospitals. The Najran Municipality has deployed all its human and mechanical resources to deal with the chaos created by rain and floods and has upped its readiness level. A spokesman said the municipality is closely following up the situation so that no one is harmed by the heavy rain that lashed the region for several days. Search on for missing man In Baha, a Burmese man went missing and two of his relatives drowned in Wadi Qoub following heavy rain since last week. Baha Civil Defense spokesman Col. Jamaan Dayis said the Civil Defense received reports that a man went missing with two children during the floods. The man had come to Raghban village to visit his brother. He took his niece and nephew for a ride when the heavy rain began and they were swept away by flash floods in Qoub Valley between Raghban and Bani Saad villages. The Civil Defense found the girl's body first and hours later the boy's body. The man was still missing. A search team comprising 30 policemen, 12 divers, 30 volunteers and 220 common people were still combing the area for the missing man. The Civil Defense has found the man's wallet, pen and cell phone. The Civil Defense has also emptied the water in Baha Dam in search of his body.
