Saudi Arabia has ordered an inquiry into the catastrophic flash-flood following last Wednesday's three-inch rainfall in Jeddah that killed more than 106 people and sparked a rare burst of public outrage against the inability of the city's infrastructure to handle the rainfall.
Quoting a royal decree, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said Monday King Abdullah had appointed Prince Khalid bin Faisal, Governor of the Mecca region which includes Jeddah, to head the inquiry, assess personal and property losses and establish if anyone bears any responsibility.
"We are aware that we cannot overlook the fact that there are errors or omissions from certain quarters" that must be "disclosed and dealt with firmly," the decree said.
King Abdullah said the disaster was not a result of extraordinary or out-of-control hurricanes or floods but was the result of a rainstorm that could not be described as disastrous.
The decree said many countries around the world with fewer resources than the Kingdom had a similar rainfall amount almost every day without causing them such losses and damages.
The Custodian of the two Holy Mosques in Islam, also ordered the finance ministry that one million riyals (USD 267,000) in compensation be paid to each family of the victims, many of whom drowned or were crushed in cars by what witnesses called "a tsunami."
The flash flood struck the Red Sea port Wednesday while the authorities were busy handling 2.5 million Haj pilgrims in Mecca, 50 miles (80 kilometers) from Jeddah.
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June 12, 2026 17:14 ET Major central bank action was the focus this week in economic news. The European Central Bank became the first major central bank to move in response to the rising inflationary pressures in the backdrop of the conflict in the Middle East. In North America, the U.S. inflation and trade data as well as Canada’s central bank decision gained attention. The Chinese trade data was the main news in Asia.