An outer wall and a parking roof of a university in the north of Riyadh collapsed on Tuesday, leaving two dead and 13 injured.
The outer barrier and roof that belong to AlMaarefa University's parking suddenly fell on top of passersby and people who were in their cars near the educational institution. The incident took place just before noon and left the area in shambles.
The Saudi Civil Defense department said it received several distress calls over the incident and immediately arrived at the scene. Officers managed to rescue four people from under the rubble at first, one of whom unfortunately succumbed to their injuries hours later.
Local news outlets said the casualties included a Sudanese resident and a security official who worked at the university.
Three of those injures are still being treated for injuries sustained in the incident while 10 others have since been discharged, according to the Saudi Civil Defense.
In the incident's aftermath, all students and staff on campus were evacuated from the university's buildings.
The Saudi Red Crescent announced that it dispatched 16 emergency teams to assist with the rescue efforts.
Civil Defense officers worked hard on lifting people who were trapped in the rubble.
Saudis were left outraged by the collapse
Saudi online users were left disgruntled by news of the collapse and blamed those behind the construction of the university building for it. Many demanded that the contractor of the project is investigated and held accountable over the incident.
"We want to hear of the arrests of the contractor and consultant behind this project because we need to know why this happened," one tweep wrote.
Others blamed the fatal incident on the lack of maintenance for buildings and structures in the kingdom.
"The issue isn't a technical engineering effort, it's the fact that no proper maintenance has been done here. This is what happens when they build but no routine maintenance takes place," another Twitter user commented.
An investigation has been launched into the tragic incident
The spokesman for the Directorate of Civil Defense in Riyadh, Lt. Col. Mohammed Al-Hammadi, explained that the area where the collapse occurred has been made unaccessible.
The space will remain closed off to people until the "extent of the damage had been assessed and while investigations are completed," he said, according to Arab News, adding that clearing operations will continue.
"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," the spokesman stressed.