Saudi Man Expected To Be World’s Heaviest Living Person At 1,345 Pounds Airlifted To Riyadh Hospital

A man in Saudi Arabia who weighs 1,345 pounds was, on Monday, airlifted from his home in Jazan on the Red Sea to the capital city of Riyadh, about 800 miles away, after King Abdullah issued an order for the man to be given immediate medical assistance.

Khalid Mohsen Shaeri, the 20-year-old who was airlifted, is believed to be the heaviest person alive today, although he is not yet recognized by the Guinness World Records. At present, Manuel Uribe of Mexico, who weighed 1,235 pounds in 2006, holds the title, reports said.

Monday’s elaborate operation involved the Ministry of Health, Civil Defence and military personnel, and special permission was given by King Abdullah to break down a part of the building so that Shaeri could be airlifted from his second-floor apartment in Jazan using a forklift, Arab News reported.

According to an Opposing Views report, King Abdullah had ordered Shaeri to be taken to a hospital almost six months ago. But, the move was delayed until a special bed for Shaeri was brought in from the U.S.

“We have been waiting for this moment for a long time," Naser Makke, the patient's cousin, was quoted as saying by Opposing Views. "The King — may God protect him and give him the long life — had given his instructions to the ministry of health to do all the arrangements to transfer the patient for treatment in a safe way."

Shaeri, whose weight gain over the past two years has been attributed to health problems, was taken to the King Fahd Medical City facility in Riyadh, and is expected to undergo surgery to remove excess flab.

According to Reuters, Shaeri has two siblings -- a brother and a sister – who also are overweight, but are able to walk.