Three people died in flash floods triggered by heavy rains swept through Jeddah on Tuesday, leaving motorists stranded and forcing authorities to shut schools and universities in Saudi Arabia's second biggest city.

One person died of electrocution in Jeddah and three others in other places in Makkah region, according to a Saudi Gazette report. Out if the 29 emergency reports received by Jeddah Health Affairs, eight were related to electrocution and the rest traffic accidents.

The Civil Defense received 250 reports of short circuits, spokesman of the Civil Defense in Makkah Province Col. Saeed Al Sarhan told the newspaper.

Dozens of people were plucked from vehicles engulfed by floodwaters, Saudi civil defence authorities said, with heavy rainfall expected to last at least until Wednesday.

The Saudi Red Crescent Authority in Madinah reported 17 cases of people slipping and falling near the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah and in the Central Area.

Source: Khaleej Times