CANBERRA – The Kingdom's charge d'affaires has said Saudi students in Australia are fine and have not been affected by the wave of bush fires that broke out in several Australian states. The like of these bush fires has not been seen in the country before, said Ridha Abdulmohsin Al-Nuzha. In a statement to Saudi Press Agency, he said the embassy represented by the Cultural Attaché in Australia Abdulaziz Abdullah Bin Talib established a contact center to follow up on Saudi students in the country who could be affected by the bush fires. The office provided the students with telephone numbers to call the Saudi embassy and the cultural attaché's office. Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard expressed concern about the difficult climatic conditions different parts of the country are witnessing due to high temperatures and the wave of bush fires in Australia. Experts expect the bush fires to continue next week despite the drop in temperatures in some regions. The bush fires destroyed a number of houses in the states of New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania and about 100 people are missing as a result. – SG/SPA
