Authorities in Jeddah have shut down 11 hotels for failing to comply with safety measures. The Civil Defense committee had earlier visited the hotels in the old Al-Balad district and given them a deadline by which owners were asked to address specific safety concerns. Some of the establishments are said by authorities to be on the verge of collapse. Abdullah Habab Al-Juaed of the Civil Defense in Al-Balad said officials had inspected 51 hotels for safety standards. Inspectors also visited 37 furnished flats, 7 wedding halls, 11 malls and 7 amusement parks, and also ordered the closure of 28 warehouses for violating the safety standards.
