RIYADH - Ten people have been killed and three others gone missing in three days of flooding due to heavy rains in the Red Sea city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia's civil defence chief said on Friday.

Since the floods began on Wednesday, "the death toll has risen to 10 and three people are still missing," said Saad al-Tuwaijri, quoted by the state news agency SPA.

Emergency services mounted a major rescue operation in Jeddah on Wednesday as water levels rose rapidly in Saudi Arabia's commercial capital where flooding killed 123 people in 2009.

After the November 2009 floods in Jeddah, the king sought legal action against officials and contractors for alleged corruption, mismanagement of real estate and land planning that exacerbated the floods.

The inability of Jeddah's infrastructure to drain the waters and uncontrolled construction in and around the city were blamed for the high number of victims.

Thousands of families lost their homes as 10,785 buildings were destroyed, a survey found.

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