Discovery of Riyadh girl’s body swept away in flood marks closure for family

JEDDAH: The body of a 15-year-old Yemeni girl who was swept away in floodwaters nearly a month ago at Wadi Al-Ha’ir was discovered by her brother and a Civil Defense worker Monday morning.

“After continuous and difficult search operations that involved more than 240 Civil Defense personnel, of all specializations, and using police dogs, the Riyadh Civil Defense emergency teams found the body,” Maj. Mohammed Al-Hammadi said in a statement.

The girl, identified as Thikra Al-Hawwam, had been missing since Feb. 13 after being swept away in floods.

“The search covered a 15-km area covering a rugged and steep terrain and hills with 3-meter-high grass, which required doubling the efforts,” Al-Hammadi said. “It also included drying some swamps and redirecting the flow of water from some reser- voirs, as well as using aerial footage for a better view of the valley.”

Saleh Al-Hawwam, the victim’s brother, said the body was discovered at 10:45 a.m. He told Arab News that he and Naser Al-Yami, a Civil Defense employee, discovered it lying in the water under a tree.

“We reacted just like any family who was shocked by such a tragedy of losing their beloved one,” Al-Hawwam told Arab News. “We have always had faith in God that we will find her, either alive or dead.”

Ahmed Al-Hawwam, the girl’s father, gave details last month of the incident and how his daughter drowned.

Despite the rains in Riyadh on Feb. 12 and warnings he received from people that Wadi Al-Ha’ir was flooded, Al-Hawwam took his family to a farm.

The girl at that moment decided to walk to the flooded area to play with the foam. There, she lost balance, fell into the water and disappeared. She was also taking some photos. The mother fainted during the incident.

Following his daughter’s disappearance, the father posted some YouTube videos telling the story of her life. Born on Jan. 1, 2002, Thikra was the 10th of 15 children in the family. She was buried on Tuesday.