Thousands of trucks have been held up at the border between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates because of Saudi border formalities, the UAE's official news agency WAM said on Saturday. WAM said drivers were queuing in temperatures of up to 45 degrees Celsius (113 Fahrenheit) without access to basic facilities at the Ghuweifat border crossing as they "wait to complete formalities" to enter the kingdom.
It quoted Saleh Mohammed al-Mualla, secretary general of the UAE Red Crescent, as saying the aid agency was providing food and water for drivers stuck in the 32-km (20-mile) queue. "The suffering of those truckers calls for the immediate removal of obstacles they face primarily during this difficult summer time," al-Mualla was quoted as saying.
The queue began forming three weeks ago, according to local media, with some speculating that a new finger-printing system introduced by Saudi customs was the cause. A Saudi customs official told Reuters the Saudi authorities were investigating the reason for the delay.