2 Killed in Jeddah Sandstorms

 Two people were killed after a severe sandstorm hit the Saudi city of Jeddah on Sunday, causing road accidents, closure of schools and rescheduling of flights. 
The city was literally blanketed by dust for a better part of the day with winds moving menacingly at 60 km/hour, sharply bringing down visibility while uprooting trees in some areas and also forcing small shops to down shutters. 
"The Jeddah Civil Defense received 20 calls. They were due to incidents related to falling of metals, scaffoldings, marbles, palm and other trees, as well as light posts and unregistered buildings," spokesman of the Civil Defense in Makkah Col. Saeed Sarhan said. 
The road accident in which two people were killed was due to poor visibility. The victims reportedly got trapped in their car and were taken out by a rescue team, Saudi daily (Arab News) reported Monday. 
Meanwhile, authorities at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah rescheduled flights, and most of the schools that were open on Sunday had to be closed by 10:30 a.m. due to the bad weather, a principal told Arab news. 
PME Weather Forecaster Mohammed Khan said the weather is expected to be normal in Jeddah on Monday, with visibility of 10 km and cold winds moving at 10 to 30 km per hour.

Source: QNA