JEDDAH: The Saudi Civil Defense authority has put under full control the fire that hit the Haramain Railway’s Suleimaniyah rail station in Jeddah on Sunday, which left 11 people injured.
Cooling is now underway, the Saudi Civil Defense tweeted in Arabic.
The 11 injury cases were transferred by the 16 medical teams who rushed to the fire scene – as well as Red Crescent personnel – to hospitals, state news agency SPA reported. Three cases were treated while eight remained under medical care, SPA added.
Director General of Civil Defense Lt. Gen. Sulaiman Al-Amro assesses the progress in controlling the blaze at Jeddah’s Suleimaniyah rail station. (Courtesy Saudi Civil Defense)
مدني #جدة تمت السيطرة على حادث حريق #قطار_الحرمين وجاري العمل بعملية التبريد. pic.twitter.com/sZ1O9RzO19
— الدفاع المدني السعودي (@SaudiDCD) September 29, 2019
The fire erupted at 12:35pm on Monday according to the Haramain High-Speed Railway’s Twitter account. The Makkah governorate said that all train services 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 an earlier Twitter post.
يارب سلم ♥️
عمليات اخلاء للمحتجزين في #حريق_محطة_القطار_جدة pic.twitter.com/U42fZpwIf0— خالد العليان (@al3lyan15) September 29, 2019
The Makkah governorate said that security aviation personnel had arrived to support the estimated 26 firefighting teams of the Saudi Civil Defense in controlling the fire. Jeddah health officials have also called on residents to stay away to avoid inhaling the fumes that could cause chest diseases.
حريق متطور بمحطة #قطار_الحرمين بـ #جدة.#عاجل..https://t.co/LuUGuvNBp1 pic.twitter.com/MjcW4ceDp0
— صحيفة سبق الإلكترونية (@sabqorg) September 29, 2019
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.
