Two people died and 13 were injured on Tuesday when a building collapsed at a university in the Saudi capital, Riyadh.
The Almaarefa University building in Diriyah, on the western outskirts of the city, was evacuated when an outer wall and parking garage roof caved in.
Lt Col Mohammed El Hammadi, Civil Defence spokesman of the Riyadh region, told the Saudi Press Agency that rescuers rushed to the scene.
الدفاع المدني بمنطقة #الرياض وفاة شخصين وإصابة 13 شخصا في حادثة مبنى جامعة المعرفة، خرج منهم 10 أشخاص سالمين. pic.twitter.com/vHVKR09oJl
— الدفاع المدني السعودي (@SaudiDCD) December 17, 2019
He said a Saudi citizen and an expatriate died in the incident. Of the 13 injured, ten were discharged from hospitals, while emergency workers continued to remove the rubble and make sure nobody is missing.
"In a case like this, it is not possible to determine when the investigation will be completed, due to the fact that there were vehicles under the parking roof that collapsed, which need to be examined," Lt. Col. Al-Hammadi told Arab News.
The Saudi Red Crescent (SRC) sent 16 emergency teams to assist with the rescue.
"Ten ambulances were immediately sent to the site of the incident at around 1:28pm on Tuesday afternoon," spokesman for SRC in Riyadh, Yasser Al Jalajel, said.
An additional six teams were sent for support, Mr Al Jalajel said, adding that the clearing operation is ongoing.
The university said two security personnel were arrested following the incident.
