Saudi youths rescue elderly couple trapped in car by raging floodwaters

Riyadh: A group of young Saudi men rescued an elderly man and his wife after flash floods trapped them inside their vehicle in Badr governorate, west of Medina, following heavy rainfall on Saturday, November 7.

A video circulating on social media captured the rescue at Wadi Al Wasitah, where floodwaters had surrounded the couple's vehicle.

The footage showed a young man wearing a helmet and safety equipment using ropes to reach the partially submerged vehicle in an attempt to bring the elderly couple to safety.

Local reports said the young men managed to rescue the couple after rushing to the scene with rescue equipment.

The incident came as rainfall affected several parts of Saudi Arabia, with light to moderate showers reported across parts of Medina on Saturday morning. Cloudy conditions persisted, with further rainfall expected.

The Saudi National Centre for Meteorology (NCM) forecast moderate to heavy thunderstorms on Sunday, November 8, potentially triggering flash floods across parts of Jazan, Asir, Al Baha, Mecca, Medina, Qassim, Riyadh and the Eastern Province.

The thunderstorms could be accompanied by hail and strong winds stirring up dust and sand.

The centre also warned of possible fog in those areas, as well as parts of Tabuk, Al Jouf and the Northern Borders region.

In Hail, the NCM issued a warning of heavy rainfall accompanied by hail, strong winds and near-zero horizontal visibility, affecting Hail city, surrounding governorates, open areas and highways.

The weather report also warned of changing conditions over the Red Sea and the Arabian Gulf.

Over the northern Red Sea, northwesterly to northerly winds were forecast at speeds of 20 to 40km/h.

In the central section, northwesterly to southwesterly winds were expected at 10 to 38km/h, potentially exceeding 60km/h during thunderstorms.

In the southern section, southeasterly to southerly winds were forecast at 15 to 40km/h, reaching more than 50km/h towards the Bab Al Mandab Strait.

Wave heights were expected to range from one to two metres in the northern section, with waves exceeding two metres during thunderstorms in the central and southern sections.

Sea conditions were forecast to range from slight to moderate in the north and become rough during thunderstorms in the central and southern sections.

Over the Arabian Gulf, southeasterly to southerly winds were forecast at 15 to 45km/h, gradually shifting to northeasterly and northwesterly winds of 10 to 30km/h in the northern section, potentially exceeding 50km/h.

In the southern section, southeasterly to southwesterly winds were expected at 10 to 35km/h, also reaching more than 50km/h.

Wave heights were forecast at one to two metres in the northern Gulf, exceeding two metres at times, while waves in the southern section were expected to range from half a metre to 1.5 metres, potentially exceeding two metres during thunderstorms.