Manhole claims another life

Jeddah: Jeddah’s streets have become some of the most dangerous in the Kingdom with open manholes and sewage drains posing a serious risk to pedestrians and motorists. In a tragic incident, Abdullah Al-Zahrani, a student of Said Bin Gubair high school in Kilo 11 tripped and fell into an open drain on Sunday while out walking with his friends in the east of Jeddah. His friends tried to rescue him but when all efforts failed, they called the Civil Defense. Civil Defense officers pulled out Al-Zahrani’s body. The Civil Defense did not release an official statement until late Sunday evening.

The director of the Education Department, Abdullah Al-Thaqafi, as well as the director of the East Jeddah office and head of security and safety in the Education Department visited at the scene of the tragedy.Over a month ago, a father and his son died in a similar accident on Tahliya Street. The father tried to rescue his five-year-old-child who had fallen into a sewage tank. A Civil Defense officer held on to the man for some time before his grip loosened, plunging the father and son to death. The accident happened on Oct. 9.