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AlUla Heritage Sites Reopen to Public End of October

Visitors take pictures at rock-hewn tombs of Madain Saleh near the city AlUla, Saudi Arabia January 25, 2019. (Reuters)
Visitors take pictures at rock-hewn tombs of Madain Saleh near the city AlUla, Saudi Arabia January 25, 2019. (Reuters)
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AlUla Heritage Sites Reopen to Public End of October

Visitors take pictures at rock-hewn tombs of Madain Saleh near the city AlUla, Saudi Arabia January 25, 2019. (Reuters)
Visitors take pictures at rock-hewn tombs of Madain Saleh near the city AlUla, Saudi Arabia January 25, 2019. (Reuters)

The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) has confirmed that the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Hegra, the ancient kingdom of Dadan and the canyons of Jabal Ikmah will be the first sites to re-open to the public, having been largely closed off to visitors in the past period.

The RCU announced that residents of AlUla will have the opportunity to access the sites exclusively on 30 October for free. However, major COVID-19 safety measures have been put in place that adhere to the Ministry of Health protocols, which align which the safe travels guidelines published by the World Travel and Tourism Council.

Measures include mandatory pre-booking of tickets, temperature checks at the airport, distancing and limitations of visitors at heritage and other sites, increased sanitation measures and mandatory mask-wearing.

Phillip Jones, Chief Destination Management and Marketing Officer, highlighted the challenges that the teams faced while exerting their best efforts to deliver this important stage and to move to the next chapter of AlUla’s journey through time.

“We have a full team onsite to get the destination ready to welcome those first visitors and we’re excited to give the local community a chance to revisit their heritage sites before the rest of the world, while we continue to build on the experiences," Jones said.

Activations and immersive experiences at the heritage sites, as well as adventure experiences and events will be announced over the coming weeks and will be phased in over the winter months, with the full suite of experiences planned for the winter season to be expected by first quarter 2021.

AlUla Old Town too will be open as a visitor experience to the public for the first time from December 2020.

Flights are available with Saudia to AlUla from Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam. AlUla is just over three hours from Madinah and Tabuk Airport. It’s also only a 2.5 hour drive to the Red Sea which visitors can add on to their trip.

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Truck Driver's Body Recovered from Huge Japan Sinkhole after 3 Months

Firefighters guard a vehicle carrying the body believed to be that of a male truck driver, found in a sewage pipe near the site of a road collapse that occurred on January 28, in Yashio City, Saitama Prefecture on May 2, 2025. (Photo by JIJI Press / AFP)
Firefighters guard a vehicle carrying the body believed to be that of a male truck driver, found in a sewage pipe near the site of a road collapse that occurred on January 28, in Yashio City, Saitama Prefecture on May 2, 2025. (Photo by JIJI Press / AFP)
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Truck Driver's Body Recovered from Huge Japan Sinkhole after 3 Months

Firefighters guard a vehicle carrying the body believed to be that of a male truck driver, found in a sewage pipe near the site of a road collapse that occurred on January 28, in Yashio City, Saitama Prefecture on May 2, 2025. (Photo by JIJI Press / AFP)
Firefighters guard a vehicle carrying the body believed to be that of a male truck driver, found in a sewage pipe near the site of a road collapse that occurred on January 28, in Yashio City, Saitama Prefecture on May 2, 2025. (Photo by JIJI Press / AFP)

Japanese rescuers have recovered the body of a truck driver who was swallowed by a huge sinkhole near Tokyo three months ago, an official said on Friday.

A road in the city of Yashio caved in during morning rush hour in late January while the 74-year-old man was driving his lorry on it.

The sinkhole, which was caused by corroded sewerage pipes, was reportedly 16 meters (52 feet) deep in February.

The search operation was hindered by unstable ground, which raised the risk of the chasm collapsing further and prevented rescuers from approaching the area where the driver was believed to be buried, AFP reported.

Since then the hole has grown to at least 40 metres across, almost the length of an Olympic swimming pool.

A slope later allowed rescuers to send heavy equipment into the hole while 1.2 million residents were asked to temporarily cut back on showers and laundry to prevent leaking sewage from hindering the operation.

Walls were built to ensure safety, regional officials told AFP.

"We discovered a man inside the truck cabin and confirmed his death, then passed the incident to police," a spokesman for the local fire department said Friday.

A police spokesman said investigations were under way, including officially confirming the body's identity.

"Until the very end of his life, my father, who had a strong heart, must have been hoping to come home alive -- fighting fear and pain -- which makes me feel a tightening in my heart," a family member of the unnamed driver said in a statement to Japanese media.

"I can't believe or accept the fact that my father, who was loved by everyone, suddenly disappeared," the statement said.

The number of sinkholes in Japan is rising, topping 10,000 in fiscal 2022. Many of these are sewerage-related in urban areas, a land ministry probe shows.