BY MOHAMMED AL-KINANI 

JEDDAH: A fire broke out in Jeddah’s Suleimaniyah rail station on Sunday leaving five injured, according to the Jeddah governorate.

The governorate said that five people were taken to a nearby hospital. Moreover, it added that some 16 medical teams rushed to the scene where firefighters started to tackle the blaze.

The fire erupted at 12:35 p.m. according to the Haramain High-Speed Railway’s Twitter account. The Makkah governorate said that all trains were suspended until further notice and it urged passengers with tickets to call 920004433 for any settlements and inquiries.

Authorities confirmed that there were no fatalities. “Five people were injured in the incident and were immediately taken to a nearby hospital,” the Makkah governorate said in a Twitter post.

An hour before, the official account posted that security aviation had intervened to support the estimated 26 firefighting teams of the Saudi Civil Defense in fighting the fire. It added that some 16 medical teams from different governmental bodies arrived to provide medical assistance.

The Jeddah traffic department played a major role in redirecting motorists away from the area.
Dramatic videos on social media showed teams using helicopters in an attempt to put out the fire, which sent huge palls of smoke into the sky of the coastal city.

As the first high-speed electric train in the region, the Haramain High-Speed Railway spans over 450km, connecting five stations across Makkah, Jeddah, King Abdul Aziz International Airport, King Abdullah Economic City and Madinah.

The railway was inaugurated by King Salman on Sep. 24, 2018. 

The project is in line with the objectives of the Vision 2030 reform plans, the main goal of which is to increase the number of pilgrims and visitors to the holy places. Officials described it as the biggest transportation project of its kind in the region.

Source: ArabNews