DUBAI: Two people were killed by a landslide and a child died in flash flooding as Tropical Cyclone Shaheen pummeled Oman, authorities said Sunday.
Rescue teams pulled the bodies of two men from their home after it was hit by a landslip in the Rusayl industrial area of Muscat province, Oman’s National Committee for Emergency Management (NCEM) said.
The child died and another person was reported missing in flash floods in the capital’s province, it added.
Some eastern coastal areas of the UAE will be affected from Sunday, October 3, until Tuesday, October 5. (NCM)
Relief centres in Al-Amerat have received several families affected by Cyclone Shaheen, the agency added.
Oman delayed and rescheduled flights to and from the airport of its capital city Muscat to Sunday evening or until further notice due to the storm, the sultanate's airports authority said on its official Twitter account.
Shaheen was later downgraded to a tropical storm, said the NCEM.
The governates of Muscat, North and South Al Batinah, Al Buraimi and South Al Sharqiya are expected to be the worst hit.
In the capital Muscat, vehicles were tyre-deep in water and streets left semi-deserted.
Cyclone Shaheen: Scene from Raim Park side of Muttrah, Muscat. #OmanObserver #Oman #rain #Shaheen #shaheencyclone #شاهين#الحالة_المدارية pic.twitter.com/Wj8Z46qDTw
— Oman Observer (@OmanObserver) October 3, 2021
Sea conditions in and around South Al-Sharqiya will also worsen, with Oman’s civil aviation authority warning of 12-meter-high waves.
Two people were rescued in Oman early Sunday after their vehicle was stranded in the Azaiba area in the Wilayat of Baushar due to heavy rainfall, Oman TV said in a statement.
In the capital Muscat, vehicles were tyre-deep in water and streets left semi-deserted.
Oman declared a two-day national holiday on Sunday and Monday and shuttered schools, the official Oman News Agency said.
Across the sea in Iran, six people were killed in Chabahar port in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan, parliament’s news agency ICANA reported, citing deputy speaker Ali Nikzad.
“Infrastructure, including electrical facilities and roads, was damaged,” provincial governor Hossein Modarres-Khiabani told Iran’s official IRNA news agency.
The eye of the storm was located 220 kilometers (130 miles) off the coast of the province, he said.
The Oman coast is being hit by storm surges. (AFP)
The UAE, which shares a border with Oman, issued a similar warning, calling on residents to avoid beaches and coastal areas.
"As a precautionary measure and to ensure the safety of everyone, it is prohibited for the public to visit beaches, valleys and lowlands during the upcoming weather conditions," the UAE's National, Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA) said.
NCEMA also said all schools, universities and institutes in areas expected to be affected by the cyclone have been converted to remote learning.
“Team members reviewed a proposed set of precautionary measures to tackle any possible cyclone impact on the country, particularly in the eastern areas overlooking the Sea of Oman, and the pre-emptive measures to ensure public safety and business continuity in the affected areas,” the statement added.
Some eastern coastal areas of the country will be affected from tomorrow, Sunday, October 3, until Tuesday, October 5, the statement added.
The UAE’s foreign ministry said it has communicated with Emirati citizens in Oman and provided all the necessary information, adding those wishing to return to the country must take the COVID-19 PCR test upon arrival.
Employees of government agencies and companies in Al-Ain, a city in Abu Dhabi on the eastern border with Oman, have been advised to work from home on Monday due to adverse weather conditions.
Exclusive visuals from Quram roundabout area ikn Muscat. Stay safe everyone. #OmanObserver #Oman #rain #Shaheen #shaheencyclone #شاهين#الحالة_المدارية pic.twitter.com/3kctkv3grs
— Oman Observer (@OmanObserver) October 3, 2021
(With AFP)
