Abqaiq tragedy sheds light on poor performance of civic bodies

The committee probing the Ain Dar wedding tragedy in Abqaiq will investigate the laxity of the Civil Defense, Saudi Electricity Co. and the Red Crescent in handling the accident, an informed source said. At a wedding party in Ain Dar in the Eastern Province, 26 people were electrocuted when a snapped high tension power cable fell over the building Tuesday. It was the local custom of shooting to celebrate wedding that caused the crash of the cable. Relatives of the victims complained about the failure of Civil Defense, the Saudi Electricity Co. and the Red Crescent to handle the situation professionally. This in turn led to the increase in the number of casualties, Al-Eqtisadiah daily reported. Eastern Province Gov. Prince Muhammad bin Fahd ordered a committee to investigate the tragedy. The charges under investigation, according to the source, include the delay of the Saudi Electricity Co. officials to arrive at the accident site. The relatives alleged that two hours after the accident an official of the electricity company arrived, but he did not do anything to disconnect the live cable that fell on the hall where there were 6,000 people present. The relatives said if the power supply was cut off immediately after the cable snapped the number of deaths would not have been this high. The relatives also alleged that the Civil Defense team that first arrived at the site was incapable of dealing with the situation.

The team was so unprofessional that they pumped water on the burning steel door, which had powerful electrical charge. The water made the situation extremely dangerous, the relatives of the victims said.

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Abqaiq tragedy sheds light on poor performance of civic bodies