The Health Affairs Department here has opened an investigation after the Director of Al-Thaghar General Hospital, Dr. Muhammad Ba Jubair, who is also the Director of Emergencies and Safety at Health Affairs, revealed that vials of medicine and laboratory supplies were found among the debris of the building which collapsed in Al-Baghdadiya District Friday. The investigation will try to find out how the medicine and medical supplies were smuggled out of Health Affairs depots and reached the building. Two expatriate women were killed and several others were injured when the building, housing 25 families, collapsed shortly before Friday prayer. Head of Jeddah Mayoralty's Information Center Ahmad Al-Ghamdi said Saturday the four-story building had been listed as dilapidated three months ago and the owner had been notified about it. The mayoralty had also asked the electricity company to cut off power to the building, he said. Al-Ghamdi said the owner violated construction regulations by adding a fourth story to the building without a license. The additional floor put pressure on the building's foundations, he said. But sources close to investigations criticized the procedures for identifying and dealing with dilapidated buildings. According to available information, the contract the mayoralty signed with the engineering firm tasked with examining buildings expired a year ago. The mayoralty, according to the sources, did not renew the contract nor did it make a new one with another company. The Friday building collapse was the fifth in Jeddah in two months. Colonel Muhammad Al-Sha'bani, Acting Director of Civil Defense in Jeddah, said his department is awaiting an engineers report on the reason for the collapse of the building. Civil Defense has also requested the examination of other buildings in the area.
