MAKKAH: A man drowned and stunning bolts of lightning hit Makkah overnight Tuesday and early Wednesday as the city was pounded by thunderstorms.
Mohammed Al-Twaim, a Mina Elementary School teacher, died while attempting to flee his automobile when it was inundated by floodwater.
Lightning struck the famous Fairmont Makkah Clock Royal Tower hotel, illuminating the night sky as pilgrims attempted to circumambulate the Kaaba at the Grand Mosque. Within 24 hours, the storm brought gale force gusts surpassing 80 kph and 45 mm of rain, according to National Center for Meteorology spokesman Hussein Al-Qahtani.
The wind blew over pilgrims outside the mosque, causing crowd barriers to slide over the rain-slicked floor. “The scene was very scary,” said Mohammed, a Makkah resident who was food shopping during the storm. “Everything happened within a few minutes, when it started raining in a crazy way.”
Another local, Abu Mayyada, said he was out purchasing cigarettes and gasoline when “everything went black in front of me” when the worst of the storm hit. “All of a sudden, I lost control of the vehicle.” I couldn’t see anything, so I turned on the radio and began listening to the Qur’an. “I had no idea what was going on.”
Schools will stay closed, according to the Makkah governorate, with sessions held on an e-learning platform “in the interest of everyone’s safety.”
Further storms are expected in the Makkah region and elsewhere in western Saudi Arabia, according to the meteorology center.
Source: Arab News