JIZAN: Panic gripped Jizan University students when tiles started to fall off the ceiling in a newly constructed complex for female students here Wednesday. Classes were suspended and immediate evacuation of students was ordered, which resulted in a stampede. According to Jibreel Al-Qabbi, spokesman for the Directorate of Health Affairs in Jizan, eight panic-stricken students were kept under observation at the Jizan General Hospital. One student, he said, suffered bruises due to jostling. Authorities evacuated 3,000 female students from the building after the Civil Defense and police operations rooms received reports about a roof collapse. Officials blame a lack of an evacuation plan for the incident. According to officials, panic gripped the campus when several female supervisors went to lecture halls calling for immediate evacuation of students from the building to avoid any untoward incident. It would be pertinent to mention here that the building has also developed cracks. The Civil Defense Administration in Jizan said the building cannot be used until it is thoroughly inspected. Dr. Muhammad Aal Hayazea, president of Jizan University said engineering offices will inspect the building, which was completed six months ago. He, however, maintained that the building is safe for conducting classes. He added in case report of the inspectors is otherwise, there are alternative plans in place. Brig. Gen. Hamoud Al-Hassani, Director of Civil Defense in Jizan, said his administration has never issued a permit or license to operate the building, which Jizan University rented for SR5 million. Al-Hassani said the Civil Defense has issued directives to stop lectures in the building until it is confirmed to be safe and that students are expected to be shifted to another building. Security guards at Jizan University tried to bar journalists from taking photographs because they said doing so would violate students' privacy.
