Jeddah, December 09: Bodies of flood victims are showing up in dried ponds as authorities are mulling the help of international experts amid fears that the number of deaths may have been more than originally suspected, said Lt. Gen. Muhammad Al-Ghamdi, chief of the Jeddah Civil Defense, Tuesday.
Traditional search operations are not yielding the expected results, he said, adding that amphibious vehicles were not of much help.
Civil Defense teams have continued combing through the debris in dried up ponds looking for bodies. Divers from the Army, National Guard, and Air Force have also been looking for bodies. “We are holding back on using excavators and loaders in order to keep intact the bodies that are found,” Al-Ghamdi said.
The tons of mud and debris in damaged areas have complicated search operations, he added. A body was recovered Tuesday from the mud in Sawaed District, taking the death toll to 117. The body was, however, badly decomposed making identification difficult. Police search dogs have identified an area of 500 sq meters where a number of bodies have been recovered, he said.
Authorities now are using DNA testing to identify badly-damaged bodies found over the last few days, he said.
–Agencies